Rising and Falling 3
by AnakinCaffrey
Summary: The third addition to the Rising and Falling series. A new war is coming into light as well as strange dreams. Can the Jedi conquer their feelings when things begin to get rough?
1. The Dream That Binds Us

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"_Ani..._" a voice whispered. "_Ani…_" I wandered around in the darkness, searching for the tiny source. For the last week, I'd been having the same voice enter my dreams. I hadn't come close to finding its source though. "_Ani…_"

"_What do you want?_" I cried out, trying to see through the dark mass.

"_Down here._"

I looked down to see a little girl with light red hair and ocean blue eyes, similar to my own. "_Who are you?_"

"_You know who I am. I'm Anima._"

"_I…_" I raised my eyebrow. "_I still don't know you._"

"_You might not,_" she giggled. "_But I know you!_"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "_Well, that clears everything up…_" I muttered.

She giggled, spinning around in circles. "_Come on, Uncle Ani!_"

My heart stopped. She turned around and I could see the resemblance to Obi-Wan, but this was _not _Airi. I screamed, bolting into an upright position on my bed. I held my head in my hands, breathing heavily as sweat streamed down my face and chest. Ahsoka jerked into a sitting position beside me, grabbing my arm as Cayden began to screech.

I moved out of her grip, getting off of the bed. I walked towards the crib. "Sh," I whispered. I picked him up and held him against my chest. I rocked him slowly, singing my mother's old song. It took two repeats of the few lines that I began to remember until he fell asleep again. I sighed, rocking him a little while longer before placing him back in the crib, tucking him in.

I turned around slowly to face Ahsoka. She stared at me worriedly as I crawled across the bed to lay beside her. I draped my arm over her waist, feeling the fabric of her nightgown. "What happened?"

"Promise me that you'll keep this to yourself."

She raised her eye markings. "I promise, love."

I sighed. "I know I'm not crazy… and I hope you know that, too, but I believe Obi-Wan and Satine's deceased, unborn child is visiting me in my dreams. She said her name was Anima."

"What… what makes you think it's their daughter? And, Ani, you know I don't think you're crazy."

"She resembled Obi-Wan and called me '_Uncle Ani_.' It was so… scary…"

She scooted closer to me, hugging me. "I'm sorry, Anakin. I wonder why you're being contact by her. Why wouldn't she go see her parents?"

"I wish I understood, but I don't…"

"Try to get some rest, Ani," she whispered. "We're going to need you at your best tomorrow."

I nodded, feeling a burning sensation growing in my chest. "Soka –" I managed to gasp. The inability to breathe grew worse each time and I felt so helpless. She helped me off of the bed and we managed to get into the refresher before I began to cough blood up violently. I held myself over the sink, her hands rubbing my back and stomach.

Once my stomach stopped churning, I felt a little better. I was getting better at controlling the pain and blood, but they were still there. The breathing issue, however, was harder to control. I was restricted and there was nothing I could do about it. I wiped the blood from the corners of my mouth, running water to wash my hands and the red pool in the sink itself.

I twisted a little to face her. She smiled weakly at me, reaching her hands up to clasp them behind my neck. "At least you're getting better…" She moved her face closer to mine and I intercepted her lips for a slow kiss. She grabbed the hem of my pants, wanting to force them down. I lifted her into my arms, walking out of the refresher without ending the kiss. I plopped her onto the bed. I could feel her excitement as I began to move my lips down her face towards her lekku. "I love you," she breathed. I slowly kissed her lek, moving towards her collarbone.

"I love you," I whispered between kisses. I grabbed the hem of her nightgown, slowly lifting it until a knock on the door interrupted my thought process.

"Keep going," she whispered. The knock became impatient and _I _was beginning to lose my patience quickly. I growled, rolling off of her, standing to walk to the door. I allowed it to slide open a bit. "What –"

A hand gripped my neck – at least that's what it felt like – and restricted my breathing. I tried to get at least one breath in as I was lifted further into the air. Ahsoka gasped loud enough for only me to hear. "Where is your _pet, _Skywalker?"

I stared at Ventress, gagging. I reached my hand out, forcing her back against a wall. My feet hit the floor and I quickly spun around, pulling my lightsaber from the nightstand that was in perfect view from my position. Ahsoka and Cayden were safe and out of sight. I held my throat as I dashed forward, my blade colliding with Ventress'. I released my neck, holding the hilt in both hands. I blocked her quick and precise blows. She had improved since our last encounter…

Another blade crashed down on hers. I turned slightly to see Obi-Wan. He was still dressed in his Jedi garments, looking determined to rid the temple of her presence. Obi-Wan and I pressed her back, sensing her frustration. She ducked around me, kicking my ribs. I fell to the floor, my lightsaber falling away from me. She began to run. Obi-Wan knelt beside me and I quickly forced myself to stand, pulling my saber into my hand as I ran after her. She ran towards one of the large windows in the hall.

I watched her slice through it as we closed in on her, but we weren't fast enough… She jumped through, falling a great distance. Knowing her, she probably had an escape plan formed before entering. I was tempted to run out after her, but Obi-Wan silently told me not to, gripping my shoulder tightly. "What did she come here for? Did she say?"

I turned to him, angrily whispering. "_She wanted Ahsoka._" I ran past him, going back to my room. I walked right up to the door, waiting for it to slide open. The lock didn't budge. "Ahsoka, it's me."

Obi-Wan walked up behind me as the door opened. "Kaimi and Shmi stayed in my quarters after playing with Airi. They're safe and asleep."

I moved forward, latching onto Ahsoka. She was holding Cayden against her chest. I nodded gratefully to Obi-Wan. "Thank you."

"Is there anything I can do for you two?"

"If you're up to it," I chuckled, turning to face him, "you could investigate the temple to see just how our assassin got in."

He nodded. "I'll have a few others put on alert as well. You two keep each other safe."

"Sounds fine," I whispered. He turned and left the room. I focused my attention on Ahsoka, seeing her worried expression. She moved out of my arms, placing Cayden back in his crib. I could feel her composure beginning to slip. When she turned around, I immediately wrapped my arms around her. "I _will _protect you."

"I know you will, Ani." I rubbed her back slowly, resting my chin on the dip between her montrals. I felt bad because I should have been able to sense Ventress' presence in the temple. Obi-Wan must've sensed her along with the feelings from Ahsoka and me. Some _Grand Master _I am… "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ani, you may be the Grand Master of the Jedi, but you are _not _the Grand Master of hiding things from your wife."

I pulled back slowly to smile at her, stroking her cheek. "I just don't want to let you down. It's one thing if I let myself down, but –"

She put a finger to my lips. "You haven't let me down nor will you ever. If anything, I've let you down several times before."

"Don't say –"

"Anakin, if I had saved you earlier, the emotional and physical scars never would have come to exist. Your back…"

"My back is a _reminder _that I prevented something horrible from happening to you or the children. I know you'd give your life for me in a heartbeat, but I'd never, _never _allow you to sacrifice yourself." I held her face in my hand, staring at her lovingly. "I would _never _blame you for what happened to me either, Ahsoka. I don't care about the scars. I just want our family to be strong _together._"

"We all need you in order for us to be strong."

"Then I'd better keep myself out of trouble," I said, smirking. I leaned down to kiss her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. She kissed me for a few moments before shoving me back.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are, _Snips._"

"If you ever get hurt –"

"Then it's _my _fault, not _yours._"

"But, Ani –" I kissed her quickly. I held her montrals firmly so she couldn't pull away from me and begin blaming herself again. I knew I did it, too, but I didn't want her to carry that weight on her shoulders. It was most definitely not her fault. After realizing that I wasn't going to let go, she embraced the kiss, circling her arms around my neck. We both pulled back for air, staring into each other's eyes. "Anakin…"

"Stop or I'll go sleep in Obi-Wan's quarters."

She chuckled. "I don't want you to sleep anywhere but here."

"So drop it and get back to sleep." I kissed her cheek and dashed towards the bed, hopping onto it. I flipped over onto my back as she began to crawl towards me. She crawled between my legs, her upper body resting on my chest. Her lekku hung over her shoulders, touching my chest as well. I slowly rubbed them, resulting in moans from her. "Come here, beautiful," I whispered, pulling her closer.

**Later.**

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. Shmi's face was directly in front of mine. "Come on, Daddy! We have to go now!"

"Go where?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"You said we were going to take a test today, remember? Me, Kaimi, and Airi."

_Eight year olds. _She expects me to remember everything. "Okay, baby. Give me a minute to get dressed, all right?" She nodded, hopping off of the bed, running out into the hall. I leaned over the bed, grabbing my pants. I pulled them on, followed by my Jedi vest. I pulled my boots up to my knees and tugged the black glove on to hide my mechanical hand, standing up.

I stretched my arms, turning around to face my sleeping wife. I leaned across the bed, kissing her neck softly. She moaned, rolling over a little. "Ani?"

"Who else?" I smiled. "I'll be back in a bit. I'm going to test the kids for Force-sensitivity."

"Can I go with you?" she asked, sitting up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Only if you hurry," I chuckled. I could hear all three girls giggling and laughing outside of the room. She jumped off of the bed, quickly grabbing an outfit and throwing it on. She carefully grabbed Cayden and we walked into the hallway. All five of us walked towards the Council chamber. I always ended up leaving the datapad there… There was only a fifty percent chance that Airi and Shmi were Force-sensitive because their mothers were not. Kaimi was almost positively Force-sensitive because Ahsoka and I both were. I sat down in my seat, holding the datapad. "All right, who wants to go first?" Shmi jumped up and down and I smiled. "Okay, kiddo." I pressed a button and an image appeared. "Reach out and focus on the datapad. What do you see?"

She paused, thinking. "An airspeeder."

I hit the button again, flipping to another image. "And now?"

"A lightsaber."

She began to answer quicker. "A holocron. A bantha. A landspeeder."

I tossed the datapad onto the floor. "Can you lift it?" She stared at it, raising her hand slowly. The datapad rose with her motion. I smiled at her, seeing the delight in her eyes. "Now levitate it to me."

Her palm faced me as she slowly brought the datapad to me. I held my hand up for it and it fell right into my palm. "Am I a Jedi, Daddy?"

I smiled again. "You bet you are, kiddo." She jumped up and down again, clapping her hands. Two tests, several images, and several levitations later, we discovered that Kaimi and Airi were also Force-sensitive. I glanced at Ahsoka to see worry in her eyes. "Come here," I whispered into our bond. She looked at me and half smiled as she came closer. I pulled her and Cayden into my lap, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, whispering into the bond. "_I'm fine. I'm just… concerned. Do you know how long it'll take for them to train? And what about Masters? Who can we really, honestly trust with our kids?_"

"We can speed up their training, Ahsoka. I'm sure Obi-Wan will take Airi up. You and I could take Shmi and Kaimi."

"_What about Cayden? We can't just leave him…_"

"Satine or Padme would be more than willing to watch him."

She nodded thoughtfully, leaning her head on my shoulder. She kissed my jaw line while I rubbed her leg. "Why are you staring at each other like that?" I laughed as Obi-Wan reappeared. "I'm assuming you two were speaking via your bond?"

We both nodded. Ahsoka stood up, trying to stop Shmi from picking on Kaimi. Airi dashed over to her father, hugging his knees. "Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Ani says I'm going to be a Jedi!"

He looked up from his excited daughter to smile at me before looking back down to her. "That's great, Airi. Does Uncle Ani have a moment to talk to me?"

I shifted forward in my seat, resting my elbows on my knees, folding my hands, and resting my chin on my knuckles. "Of course, Obi-Wan."

He glanced around nervously. "Alone?" I whispered.

Ahsoka glanced back at us, raising her eye markings above her left eye. "Kids, how about we go see Satine?"

They all cried out excitedly, exiting the room with Ahsoka. That left Obi-Wan and me. "What's on your mind, Obi-Wan?"

"Anakin, I…" he sighed. "I don't know. I've been having disturbing dreams and I feel that I can only talk to you about them because I think you'd understand me more. If I tell Satine, she'll react badly…"

I smiled weakly. "I'm glad you came to me. You know you can always tell me anything." He glanced away from my eyes nervously. "What kind of dreams are you having?"

"I'm seeing a little girl in my dreams…" I straightened in my seat as I stared at him. "She's… She looks like Satine and me. She claims to be Anima, but I don't know anyone by that name. Satine and I picked the name Anima for a girl, but… I don't know. She seems so peaceful and happy in my dream, but she never says much. She skips around happily…" I felt my heart sink and slowly break, my expression losing its composure. He turned to face me as I lowered my eyes to the floor. "Why do I get the feeling that you're keeping something from me, Anakin?"

I bit my lip, my eyes pleading as I looked at him. "Please, don't think I'm crazy and please don't get upset…"

"What –"

"Anima is appearing in my dreams as well. She… she called me…" I put my head in my hands, knowing how much this was going to kill us both. "Obi-Wan, Anima is your _daughter._"

"What?"

"She called me 'Uncle Ani' in my dream. I realized the similarities between you and her. She's the de–" I stopped realizing how hurt he was now. I didn't want to finish the sentence either way… I stood up, walking quickly towards him. "Obi-Wan –"

"How is she able to contact us?"

"I don't know, but listen to –"

"This doesn't make sense!" he yelled. The only time he's ever really yelled is when he was upset with me for not listening to him or when I annoyed him. Most of those times had been when I was a Padawan…

"Obi-Wan –" He stormed out of the room, leaving me alone to stare in shock at his retreating figure. I sighed in frustration, walking back to my chair, collapsing into it. _Silence is golden…_


	2. Disruption

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I vaguely heard the door slide open and hiss to a close. I was deep within my thoughts, trying to clear my mind. The light footsteps came closer to me and a voice whispered so lightly that I almost didn't hear it. "Ani?"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Ahsoka. "Yes, love?"

"You're needed in the war room." I sighed, nodding. I pushed myself off of the floor, standing. I walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her slowly. I wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't help but think back to how angry Obi-Wan had sounded… _That was exactly why I went into meditation…_ to forget his voice in that instant. She abruptly pulled away from the kiss. "Why are you so upset? What did Obi-Wan say to you?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" She stared sadly at me, slowly nodding. I slid my hand beneath her chin, lightly lifting her lips to meet mine again. "I love you," I whispered into our bond. Her arms twisted beneath mine, crawling up my back. I felt my legs pulling me backwards before I realized that Ahsoka had forced me into my Council seat. I was sitting down and she managed to fit her tiny body between my legs. We separated our lips, breathing heavily. "Here?" I asked breathlessly.

"_Here._"

I smirked.

**Twenty minutes later.**

We finally entered the war room, seeing eyebrows raised all around. "How long does it take to find Anakin and bring him here, Ahsoka?"

I chuckled, kissing Ahsoka's cheek. "She got distracted on her way to me. We're here now, so what's up?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, dismissing my first statement in reply to his question. He hit a button on the holoprojector and several images and reports appeared. The images were disturbing to the point where I thought I was going to be sick. Several of our Jedi had gone scouting, awaiting the Togruta-Twi'lek army. Clearly, those Jedi had been tormented and terminated. I held Ahsoka tightly against my side as the gory images got worse. The final image of one of the females had an engraving into her arm. "Zoom in on her arm."

Obi-Wan did as he was told and the arm enlarged. There were several numbers – _a date._ "Anakin, what is it?" he asked me.

"A warning. We supposedly have a week before they arrive then."

The door behind me opened. I spun around with Ahsoka to see Padme with wide-eyes. The kids were with her – all four of them. "There are intruders in the temple."

All five Jedi in the room ignited sabers, placing Padme and the children behind us. I could sense Obi-Wan's worry. I could tell that he and I thought the same thing. _Where was Satine?_ "Soka, Plo, Yoda, stay here," I commanded. "Obi-Wan, with me." He nodded and we exited the room, silently running down hallways. "We'll find her," I whispered.

"I certainly hope you're right…"

I heard a blaster and immediately began running, Obi-Wan alongside me. I ran up to the door and it wouldn't open. I nodded at Obi-Wan and we shoved our lightsabers into the door, forming a circle in opposite directions.

I heard Satine scream inside and I pushed my saber faster – though it begged me not to. Eventually, I grew frustrated with its slow speed. I pulled it out of the door, raising my mechanical hand. Once Obi-Wan pulled out of the door, I pulled it from its hinges, throwing it aside. We dashed into the room. Satine's blaster was being held to her head. "Wait!" I cried out. Three Togruti men surrounded her, turning to sneer at me. One looked passive, not doing anything… "Go find Ahsoka," I whispered to Obi-Wan.

He left, arriving only a moment later with Ahsoka. The three men dropped to their knees almost immediately, bowing their heads. "Milady…"

Ahsoka gripped my arm, staring at my face. They began speaking in Togruti – well, two of them anyway since the one chose to remain silent. A few words were pretty guessable because of the way they looked at me. Ahsoka said something, a low growl escaping her lips. She held me tighter, shifting into a defensive position.

Where was Threepio when I needed him?

"My Queen," one whispered, finally speaking basic. "This is _not _the way of our people. This _pale _man is spreading his lies to you. Your father has selected a more _suitable _husband for you. We must take you to Shili immediately."

"I will not abandon my family."

"So you will abandon your people? We need you to lead our men to victory!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, regret lacing into her voice. I glanced down at her, my heart beginning to sink. "But I can't accept this responsibility. I will not leave this life behind me. My father will rule until his days are over and once he has passed, I will appoint another to take his place."

"This is not our way!" The man with Satine's blaster aimed it towards me. "He must die if we are to secure our government! _He _is the _poisoner _set to destroy our people! You must have read that prophecy!"

Ahsoka shocked me with her protectiveness. She violently shoved me behind her, her hand reaching back to secure contact with me though it rested on my stomach. I heard her growling and felt her anger boiling as she shook. "Kill the woman," the man beside Satine said.

"No!" Obi-Wan cried out. Ahsoka jumped, attacking the man that threatened my life. I quickly pulled the blaster into my hands, tossing it away. I threw the other two Togrutas away from Satine, allowing her to run into Obi-Wan's arms, where I knew she would feel secure.

It was something I understood. Being held at blaster point and tormented was something that required support. Ahsoka was my support and Obi-Wan was Satine's. He sent me a questioning look, asking if he could take Satine away. I nodded toward the doorway, telling him silently to make sure she was safe. He nodded, running out with her.

I grabbed the hilt of my lightsaber and turned around only to feel pain. The man that had held a blaster to Satine's head stabbed me with an extremely sharp blade. I gasped as the blood dripped from the wound. Ahsoka spun around quickly, staring at me in horror. Once the blade was pulled out of me, my eyes rolled back and the darkness consumed me.

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I watched Anakin collapse and I saw the dagger in Aloke's hand as he pulled it from Anakin's body. I roared in fury and sorrow, pulling Anakin's lightsaber into my hand, igniting both of them. I charged Aloke, running him through with Anakin's azure blade. I swung around, killing Jaroiah with mine. That left one nameless, silent man standing. His hands flew into the air. "I wasn't given orders to kill either of you, nor were they."

I backed up towards Anakin, kneeling down beside him. My eyes never left the fearful ones of the nameless man. I grabbed Anakin's comlink. "Obi-Wan, I need you back here _now _and bring a medical droid."

"_What happened?_"

"I'll tell you later. Just _hurry!_" I put the comlink into a compartment on my belt. I hooked Anakin's saber to my belt, holding my emerald one towards the man. My free hand was pressed against my husband's wound, trying to form something close to a tourniquet with his clothing and my flesh as a pool of blood poured out of him freely. Obi-Wan rushed in with a medical droid, staring at the bodies lying on the floor and the cowering Togruta in the corner. He knelt beside Anakin, moving my hand and pressing both of his onto the wound. We both heard a small gasp and saw Anakin's skin slowly turning blue, no breath coming from his lips. "He's choking!"

"I've got him!" Obi-Wan lifted him quickly into his arms, Anakin's legs and arms dangling freely as he ran out of the room. As much as I longed to go with them, I couldn't allow this man to get away.

"Come with me," I ordered, waving my lightsaber.

He obeyed, following beside me as I began leading him back to where the other Masters were. "My Queen, may I speak?"

"I am _not _your _Queen. _I am Ahsoka, wife to Anakin Skywalker and the mother of his two children."

"You _are _my Queen," he said, determined to get his point across. "I am your suitor. We are to be wed, my dear."

"I'm already married! I have children! I don't even know who you are."

"I am Jarim Taesko."

"I don't even care," I muttered. I peered at him and saw that he wasn't even close to matching Anakin. I read his lekku to see that he didn't love me or care about me. He wanted power and sex – the two things that were the least important to Anakin. Sure, Ani loved to make love to me, but I usually have to let him know that I'm in the mood for him…

Before I had time to take notice of his violent emotions, my lightsaber was kicked out of my hand and I was shoved against a wall, his hand clutching my throat. "You _will _come back to Shili." I heard a faint scream in my head and it echoed through my body. My hands moved without my consent, pulling my lightsaber towards me. I jabbed at Jarim, watching him fall away from me. My legs carried me back to the room where Plo and the others were.

I could feel the pain and concern within myself, knowing that it didn't belong to me. "Anakin, what –"

"_Sh,_" he said into my head, using his own voice. "_Just don't stop. Get to Plo._"

"You're going to further injure yourself if you don't –"

"_I love you so much. I love everything we've shared, everything you've given me, including the children. I hope you'll never regret the decisions we've made._"

"Anakin, you know – wait! Why are you talking like this? Take me to the medbay right now!"

"_No,_" he whispered. I forced myself to override his presence, but he was fighting me. I felt him weakening like I had when he was pressuring me beneath his blade as a Sith, but this time, I won without a challenge. Once I had control of my body, I turned, heading for the medbay. "_Do not go in._" I ran in, despite his orders, to see his body shaking uncontrollably on the medical bed along with the frantic beeping of the vital scanner. Obi-Wan and the droid were frantically trying to restrain him. "_Ahsoka. Ahsoka, don't –_" I ran towards the body, shoving Obi-Wan aside. "_No!_" he screamed in my head. I placed my hand on his forehead, focusing on everything inside of him. I found the darkness and tried to pull it from him. "_Stop!_" he pleaded. "_Please. Please, don't do this to yourself…_" I focused harder, desperately trying to save his life. "_Ahsoka, please…_" he continued to plead.

I sucked as much of the darkness out of him as I possibly could. I felt his fury and he took over. My hand moved away from his body, severing the connection. I looked to the vitals to see them level. They weren't all over the board and his body had relaxed. "He is stable for now," the droid assured me.

Though Anakin was inside of me, his body breathed, and we heard his unsteady breathing through the life support mask. His anger was beginning to hurt me to the point where I felt like crying. "Ani, stop," I thought.

"_Oh, so you wouldn't listen to me, but I have to listen to you?_"

"This is different –"

"_Do you have any idea –_"He paused. "_Ugh, just forget it. I'll see you later._"

"Don't leave me…" I whispered. I felt him drift out of me. His anger traveled with him and we all felt it once he was back inside of his own body.

"How is he _so _angry?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He's upset with me. He tried to stop me."

"He knows? _Oh…_" he paused. "He can do that while unconscious?"

"I guess so. He saved me from…" I remembered that Anakin hadn't killed Jarim, nor did we capture him. "The other one got away…"

"Who were they anyway? Why did they attack Satine?"

"She was just a _victim._ They came to take me and kill Anakin…"

"He's just lucky that he didn't bleed as much," he sighed. "With the amount he's already lost…"

"I know. He's going to be so much angrier when he wakes up. Killing mercilessly is not the Jedi way either…"

"He'll understand that you were only trying to protect him," he whispered, smiling weakly as he clapped my shoulder.


	3. The Journal

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

Chills ran through me every now and then, especially when I thought about how angry my husband would be since I took a bit of the burden of the darkness off of him. I thought that he might be grateful, but he hasn't even attempted to contact me in hours. The door hissed behind me and boots contacted with the floor as they crossed the room. "Ahsoka?" I twisted slightly to see Obi-Wan, worry clear in his expression. "Ahsoka, we've been taking care of the children as much as we possibly could, but Kaimi and Shmi want you. You can't stay here all night anyway. Anakin probably won't be waking up for a while."

I glanced sadly back at Anakin. "I can't leave him. What if he wakes up while I'm sleeping? He might do something he'll regret because he's so upset. I need –"

"To stop worrying about him. I'll contact you as soon as he's awake. Go rest, please."

I sighed, gripping Anakin's hand tightly. "I –"

"Ahsoka."

I closed my eyes, bowing my head. "Good night, Obi-Wan." I stood up from my seat beside the bed and walked towards Obi-Wan, hugging him. "I'm sorry that I'm being so uncooperative. I'm just really nervous about what he's going to do or say when he comes back to reality. I know he's going to reprimand me, but I just wanted to help him…"

He rubbed my back. "I understand that, Ahsoka, and I hope he will, too. If not, I'll make sure I talk some sense into him."

I smiled, pulling back to stare at him. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. You're a good man."

"You two are like my family. I'd hate to see anything happen to either of you." I nodded as we released each other. "Get some rest, Ahsoka. I'll see you later."

"I'll see you later, Obi-Wan," I smiled, turning to exit the medbay.

I headed down to Obi-Wan and Satine's room to pick up the kids. I knocked, waiting for Satine to allow me to come in. "Enter."

The door slid open and I walked in to see Shmi and Kaimi messing with each other. Cayden and Airi were asleep. "Girls," I laughed.

Shmi and Kaimi turned to me, both standing quickly, and running towards me to wrap their arms around my legs.

"Hi, Mommy," Shmi whispered, smiling. I raised my eye markings, staring at her shocked.

I wonder if Anakin told her to call me that. It felt kind of awkward because this wasn't my daughter, but she might as well be. I'd definitely treat her better than Padme had. "Hello, Shmi," I chuckled, bending down to pull them both into a tight hug. "Were you girls good for Aunt Satine?"

Both girls twisted to look at Satine, fear in their eyes. Satine laughed as I smirked. "The girls were fine, my dear. The real trouble was Cayden. He didn't want to go to sleep at all."

"He's a Daddy's boy. Ani has such an easy time getting him back to sleep. He was the same way with Kaimi, so I wonder what he's doing differently than I am."

"Airi's a Daddy's girl when it comes to wanting something," she laughed.

I chuckled. Shmi and Kaimi began to yawn. "All right, I'd better get these two to bed. Thank you so much Satine. I truly appreciate all that you've done for Anakin and me."

"It's always a pleasure to watch my nieces and nephew. Since Anakin and Obi-Wan have been forcing me into that habit, I guess I'm finally going along with it."

We both laughed. "I'm so glad that we all feel like family."

"One big, happy family," she smiled. "Well… for the most part…"

"I know what you mean. Anakin should be fine from now on. I'm hoping that he'll be all right. Have a good night, Satine. Take care."

"Same to you, my dear. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. I hear that there are some Jedi trainings to be accomplished."

"Shmi is probably going to be Ani's Padawan. If he's awake and feeling up to it tomorrow, he'll probably begin teaching her. Airi and Kaimi have a few more years to go before they're capable of becoming Padawans."

She smiled. "Obi-Wan told me about Airi becoming a Jedi. He's so excited. Is he going to be her Master?"

"If he wants to be, Anakin will definitely allow it without thinking twice."

"Mommy, I'm tired," Shmi whined, grabbing my hand. She tried tugging me out of the room.

"Okay, okay," I laughed. "Good night, Satine."

"Good night, my dear. Good night, girlies."

I walked across the room to pick Cayden up, cradling him carefully against my chest. Shmi and Kaimi followed me out of the room. Once we entered our dorm, I placed Cayden in his crib, tucking the covers around him like Anakin would. I tucked Kaimi and Shmi into their respective beds. Shmi hugged me tightly before lying down. "I love you, Mommy."

I smiled, running my hand through her hair that resembled Anakin's. "I love you, too, Shmi." I glanced across the room to see Kaimi fast asleep. Both girls had minor resemblances to their father, but I believe Cayden had the most. Cayden's eyes looked deep and affectionate like Anakin's and their faces had the same features.

I walked towards my bed, dropping down onto it. Obi-Wan had been right to think I needed some rest. I curled up into a ball beneath the covers, wishing that Anakin's warm body was beside me. I reached across the bed, feeling the sheet that he would lay down on. I traced where I thought his body would fit before falling asleep.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

I sighed, staring at Anakin. I knew he was awake. He just didn't want to talk to Ahsoka right now. "Anakin, you're acting childish."

"Don't scold me," he whispered, not opening his eyes.

"You can't stay mad at her. It'll tear you both apart eventually."

He opened his eyes, glaring at me. "If I wanted to talk to her, I would have said something while she was in here. I'm extremely upset with her. She knew –"

"She wanted to help you, Anakin. That was her priority. _You _are her priority. Don't be so hard on her, okay? She loves you with everything and she'd do anything for you."

"I didn't want her to do that! I tried to tell her to stop!" he screamed, growing angrier by the moment. Things were beginning to crash around the room as his anger intensified. "If I wanted her help, I would have asked for it! I was doing just fine!"

He sat up, his eyes blazing. He growled in fury as pain wracked through him. I quickly pushed him back down onto the medical bed. "Relax. You need to –"

"Don't you tell me what I need to do," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he lay on his back. He stared at the ceiling angrily, burning a hole into it.

"When am I going to go get her for you?"

"I'll talk to her when I want to."

"Anakin…" I sighed. "You can't –" He turned onto his side, facing away from me. I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. "Now you're _really _acting childish."

"I don't care."

I turned around, walking out of the room. I pulled my comlink up to my face, contacting Ahsoka. "_Mm?_" she muttered.

"This is Obi-Wan. Did I wake you?"

"_No. I've only been asleep for a few minutes. Is he awake?_"

"Yes, but… I'm not sure if he wants to see you…"

"_Why wouldn't he?_" she asked, sounding hurt. "_Oh…_"

"I think it might be best if you come see him without him requesting you. Who knows how long it'll take for him to call you down here?"

"_The kids are all asleep. Would you mind keeping an ear out for them?_"

"Of course not," I whispered.

"_Thank you, Obi-Wan, again. I'm on my way._"

I closed the connection, walking down the halls until I reached her quarters. She came out, looking exhausted and afraid. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

"I'm just… afraid of what he's going to say to me."

"Just relax. He's a little snippy, but I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you. Don't take any of his words personally. He loves you, Ahsoka. He's just in a bad mood and it'll pass soon enough." She smiled weakly when I said 'snippy' and I understood. I clapped her shoulder, smiling. "Go see him."

She nodded, running down the hallway like she was his eager Padawan once again. It was odd to see that my little brother had been my Padawan, acting just like her, years ago. He'd gotten his own Padawan, albeit he didn't know he'd be getting one, but he'd fallen in love with her.

If he hadn't been assigned as her Master, I wouldn't have the beautiful niece and nephew that I have right now. I entered their room, smiling to myself. I lounged on their bed for a moment before realizing that those two do things on it. I jumped off, choosing to walk around. I saw a whole section of books and such that obviously belonged to Anakin. I wondered how he'd gotten all of these things in here.

I walked over to the shelf, pulling out the first book I saw. I opened the cover to see a date set to a little over three years ago. It was a _journal. _ I skimmed the lines, looking for something of importance. I gasped audibly as I read one page.

"_This is it. I can't take it any longer. The pain I go through daily is too much for me to handle. Padme took my life when she told me that she hadn't been faithful. There's no one in the galaxy that I could love more than her and she killed me. She ruined me…_" I flipped the page. "_I don't even know why I'm writing this down. No one is going to find it. No one will care enough to even investigate my death. I wonder how this will affect Padme. And Obi-Wan… _ _He isn't my Master anymore, but he's like my brother. It pains me to think how hurt he'll be when he hears that I'm gone, but I can't allow myself to go through this much longer… I'm afraid this will be my last entry._" Tears brimmed in my eyes as I read those words. The only two words that I could process were _Anakin _and _suicide._ I flipped to the next page. It was the next day. "_Well, I believe I've honestly made the right choice to live. If it hadn't been for Obi-Wan, I would have left the ledge. I just received my Padawan on Christophsis yesterday. She's… I can't even describe her. The way she makes me feel is just… she makes me feel complete. I can see so much life in her, so much happiness. I find myself hoping that she'll spread those feelings into my life._"

I flipped to the next page. _Ahsoka Tano _was written all over the next page. I could see that he'd become obsessed with her when they first met. What shocked me the most was on the next page. _Ahsoka Skywalker _was written all over in several different styles. There was a drawing at the bottom and I knew he'd drawn it. It was of Ahsoka.

I flipped a few more pages. They were all blank.

I reached a page further on to have a paper fall to the floor. I bent down to pick it up, glancing at it. It was a picture of Ahsoka sleeping on Anakin's bed when she was pregnant with Kaimi. He had drawn this one as well and it was flawless. I could tell that a certain light had shined on her through the window.

The date was in the corner of the page, set a few days before he and Ahsoka had been called to the Council chambers to discuss her pregnancy.

I stroked my beard, feeling the tears fall down my face. I had unknowingly saved Anakin's life and I'd created the life he's living now. If I hadn't called him in for Christophsis, he would have killed himself and he never would have met Ahsoka or had Kaimi and Cayden.


	4. Power

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I felt Ahsoka coming closer to the medbay. I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious again. I waited impatiently for the hiss of the door, but she hesitated. I could sense the nervousness, the uncertainty, the sadness. I opened my eyes and propped myself up onto my elbows slowly, groaning in pain. I felt her thoughts wavering in the uncertainty. I raised my eyebrow as I sensed her feeling of defeat.

I sighed and reached out into our bond. "Ahsoka, get in here before I have to get off of this bed and force you in." I felt her shock and worry, but they couldn't mask the hesitation. She entered, biting her lip and rubbing her arm nervously. Her eyes wouldn't meet mine, instead staring at the floor. I grunted as I threw my legs over the side of the medical bed and sat up. She stood quite a distance away from me, not moving. "Ahsoka," I whispered, trying to keep the harshness out of my voice. She still remained unmoving. "Hey, look at me."

I saw a tear fall down her face. Though it hurt to do so, I got off of the medical bed and ran to her, wrapping her in my arms tightly. Her arms wound around me, hands on my back. "I'm sorry that I –"

"Stop," I whispered. I kissed the side of her montral lightly, moving one hand to rub her lek slowly. "I shouldn't have been so angry with you. I know you care too much and you don't want anything to happen to me. I was just upset because you didn't allow me to work this out on my own. I can handle –"

She pulled back abruptly. "You couldn't handle it. If you could handle this on your own, you wouldn't have come that close to dying, Anakin. When I came in… you… I had no other choice. I had to steal that darkness to save you. I can't let you die…"

I reached my hand up, rubbing her cheek with my thumb. "I understand. I just wish that you would have listened to me. You have no idea how much pain you're going to go through as long as that's inside of you. I know I still have some, but you took a lot of it from me. If I ever see that you're –"

"I would expect you to be there for me, Ani. I wouldn't get upset with you. I would understand that you're trying to help because you love me." I leaned down slowly, silently asking her if I was allowed to kiss her. She stared up into my eyes for a moment before closing her eyes. Seeing that, I leaned down and kissed her lips, taking them passionately. I rested my hand on her rear lek as her arms wound around my waist again.

Ahsoka pulled away, clutching her chest at the exact same time that I did. I knew that this pain came from our connection with Kaimi. I immediately bolted out of the medbay, running as fast as I could down the hallway towards our dorm. The door was blasted and I'd begun to fear the worst. "Daddy!" Kaimi screeched from inside the dorm.

I heard Obi-Wan breathing heavily, along with the quiet whimpers of both of my daughters. Ahsoka ran up beside me, clutching my arm tightly. "The lightsabers are in the room," she whispered.

I sighed quietly, listening to whoever was intruding. "Where's your Mommy, kid?"

"I – I – I don't…" Shmi began to stutter. "I – I don't know…"

Ahsoka growled lowly beside me. I turned to stare at her. "What's wrong? Who is he?"

"His name is Jarim," she whispered, anger clear in her voice. "He's my _suitor _sent from my father."

"Is he the one that attacked you when I was inside of you?" She nodded. I bent down, crouching closer to the floor. I peered into the room to see Jarim's back to us. Kaimi and Shmi were in a corner of the room and Obi-Wan had been stabbed. It took everything in me not to scream and charge into the room. I could risk my daughters' lives as well as my brother's partial one. Those lives were something I could not risk. I outstretched my fingers towards my lightsaber on the nightstand. Slowly, it lifted from the stand. Shmi saw it, but kept silent. "Good girl," I whispered. My lightsaber floated across the room unnoticed and I gripped it tightly. "Stay put. The last thing I need right now is for you to be taken away from me."

"So you aren't mad at me anymore?"

I turned and kissed her. "I'm still mad, but I'll be all right later. You're off of Mustafar for the moment, my love." She smirked as I turned away. I held my lightsaber tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He moved forward and grabbed Shmi by her hair, making her scream in terror.

In turn, that shot my anger through the roof. I jumped up, igniting my lightsaber, and shoved the blade through his chest. He released Shmi, turning to face me as much as he could before dying. "Sky…walker… you… fool…"

"I hope you die a horrible death," I whispered angrily in his ear, meaning every word I said. I pulled the blade out of him, throwing my saber across the room. I ran to Obi-Wan, kneeling beside his body. I pulled the dagger out of his leg that was bleeding. Luckily for him, it wasn't that bad.

I pressed down on his leg. "Why are you out of the medbay?" he groaned.

"It's nice to see you, too." Ahsoka came into the room, kneeling beside me to observe Obi-Wan. I was able to stop the little bit of blood. He didn't seem to have been stabbed as deep as I had been – again, lucky. Speaking of which, the medications I'd taken were beginning to wear off. Ahsoka and I helped Obi-Wan off of the ground. Kaimi and Shmi were cuddled up against each other on my bed, shaking in fear. "Want me to walk you to the medbay?" I asked, concerned for him.

He shook his head. "I'll be all right. Thank you though." He gave me a look that meant he wanted me to talk to Ahsoka. We released him and he limped slightly out of the room.

"Ani…"

"Yes?"

"Can you… please… get this body out of here?"

I glanced down at Jarim. "Yeah, no problem."

I opened the window across the room with the Force and levitated him out of it. "Anakin!" Ahsoka screamed, waking Cayden up.

"What? I'll clean it up tomorrow." I walked towards Cayden's crib, picking him up. I cradled him against my chest, singing the song to him. Shmi and Kaimi got onto their own beds, slowly beginning to relax. Ahsoka sat on the edge of our bed, holding her head in her hands as I rocked Cayden to sleep. Once I felt his weight lessen a bit, I realized he was asleep. I rocked him gently as I placed him back into the crib, tucking the blanket around him. I walked towards Shmi and Kaimi, tucking the blankets in around them as well. Once I had finished my tucking-in duties, I walked over to my own bed, sitting beside Ahsoka. I glanced at her sadly, listening to her quiet sobs. I didn't know what to do or say to make her feel better because I wasn't sure what the problem was. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?" She shook her head, wiping her tears away. I reached my hand out and gently pulled her face towards mine, kissing her lightly. "Talk to me, Ahsoka. I want to help you."

"I'm just waiting for you to scream at me."

I pulled her closer to me, allowing her to rest on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. "I'm not going to scream at you. I promise. I'm still upset, but I won't scream or yell."

She sniffled for a few more moments before pulling back to smile at me. "Is there anything I can do to make you a little less upset with me?"

I half smiled, leaning towards her to kiss her slowly. "Just this," I whispered.

She pulled me on top of her and lay back on the bed. My lips met hers for another slow, passionate kiss. I moved one hand to her lek, rubbing it slowly. She moaned against my lips, rubbing my back. She pulled at my belt, trying to get it unhooked. I smiled and helped her out, allowing her to do anything else that pleased her.

**Later.**

"I'm sorry for being so hard on you," I whispered into the darkness. I held Ahsoka beside me as her arm draped over my chest. "I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I love you and I don't want to hurt you."

"I should have listened to you."

"If you had, we might not be having this conversation. I need to learn to realize that everything you do is out of love. You love me enough to the point where you'd do something that might hurt you in the end. You were right about the Sith essence killing me. I separated myself from my body so I could be with you in my final moments. I wanted you to know that I loved you and that I love our life, our children…"

"I know that you love me and our babies, but please don't keep things inside of you that will hurt you. The darkness was something I wanted to help you with, but you pushed me away. I want to help take your pain away. That's why –"

I shushed her, lightly kissing her lips. She was talking too fast for me to really fully comprehend a lot of what she was saying. "I'm going to let you help me from now on, okay?"

She sighed. "I still feel that a lot of hurt could have been prevented if I'd just listened to you…"

I turned onto my side, facing her. There was a small amount of moonlight dancing on her face. I could see the small trail of tears that had run down her cheeks. "I don't want our relationship to be like that. I don't want to have power over you. You are not my _slave. _You are my wife and my best friend. If you had listened to me, I wouldn't be here right now."

"But –"

"No."

"Ani –"

"Still no. Just, sh." She smiled, scooting closer to me. Her leg moved between mine and she placed her lips beside my neck, beginning to kiss my skin lightly. "If anything, I think you have power over me," I whispered, chuckling.

"How?" she laughed, pulling back to look at me.

"You lead for the most part in bed for one," I said. I smiled at her shocked expression. "When have I ever brought you to bed and wanted to make love right when we lay down? I mean, I make sure you aren't against it before I try anything, but you're the one that starts it all." She giggled and her blue stripes on her lekku began to darken. "I don't mind you having control," I whispered, smiling. I moved closer to her, kissing her nose. "It's a lot more fun trying to bring you down from that amount of power." I kissed her lek as she continued to giggle. She coughed a little, causing me to worry. "Ahsoka, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm fine. I promise." I stared at her, concerned. I stroked her lek, watching her eyes. She moved forward, kissing my jaw line. "I'm okay, love. It was probably just a onetime thing."

"I hope so," I muttered.

"There wasn't any pain. If there were, I would let you know, all right? I don't want to shut you out. If I need help, you'll be the first to know."

I wrapped my arm around her, rubbing her back with my thumb. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"So about that power over you…" she trailed off.

I smirked, pulling her on top of me. "I'm at your service, milady."


	5. Politics

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I growled lowly as I listened to the annoying banter around me. The Senators were arguing about what to do next. Should they grant all power to Padme or should they become a democracy once again? Were they fearful of her leadership or were they fine with it?

Luckily, I brought Ahsoka with me to this meeting. If she weren't sitting beside me, I might actually go crazy. These Senators seemed so clueless and dependent. They _needed _to know what to do next, what to feel as well. "Why don't you speak up?" she whispered.

"What am I going to say? I don't want to give all power to Padme, though I know she won't abuse it. I'm not afraid of her leadership, but they probably are. There is absolutely no possibility that this is a win-win situation."

"Maybe they just need to hear your voice. They want your reassurance."

"They don't like me because I'm a Jedi, Soka. They won't listen to me. They'll listen to a corrupt leader, but they won't listen to a Jedi." She frowned, pressing the button to move us forward. "Ahsoka!" I whispered angrily. The four spheres in the center held three senators and Padme. They all turned to face me as I stood there, attempting to conjure up some speech. "I… I believe that what we all need is faith. Arguing does nothing for us. We all know that Empress Amidala was a very capable Senator. Now, why do we doubt her leadership skills?"

Another Senator came down into the center, glaring furiously at me. "Who are you to speak of leadership skills? Aren't you a Jedi who disobeyed the Jedi Order? You're married. I believe you've no judgment when it comes to leading others."

I slammed my fists down on the panel. "As a General of the Clone War, I was capable of leading my men to several victories while you sat here, debating what to do next with the money. Should you supply the Jedi with more clones or hinder us without them? You sat in these seats while my men, my friends, _died!_ I believe that _you _have no judgment in this particular situation." I glanced nervously at Padme, feeling that I had overstepped my speech. She shook her head, waving her hand for me to continue the argument. The opposing Senator grew silent, eventually retreating back to his previous position. I sighed, lowering my head for a moment. Ahsoka's hand rested on my leg, reassuring me that she was here for me. "Does anyone else question my judgment?" I asked to the surrounding Senators. I glanced around, as did Padme and Ahsoka.

Senator Organa floated down into the center, smiling widely at me. "I believe Senator Skywalker is correct. We _need _faith in our Empress. We all elected her, now why do we question her? She is our supreme ruler and is more than capable of keeping this government together." I sat back down beside Ahsoka, holding her hand on the seat. Bail nodded at me. "Senator Skywalker is exceptionally skilled with his judgment for more reasons than one. He's capable of leading and going through with his thoughts. That is why he suggested Padme as our leader. His judgment made a conclusion that Padme would do the job to the best of her ability."

There was a roar of thunderous applause around us after Bail spoke. I pressed a button, retreating from the center. I held my head in my hand as my arm rested on my knee. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not a politician," I muttered. "I'm a Jedi. Why was I even given this role?"

She rubbed my back slowly, leaning against my shoulder. "You're doing just fine in my opinion, Anakin. You're just being too hard on yourself, love. Those Senators are trying to put you down. Don't let them do that to you, okay?" I nodded slowly, lifting my head to look at her. She smiled at me, moving her hand up to my hair. "Are you still mad at me?" she whispered.

"After last night? How could I be?" I replied, smirking. "It's not every night that I get to share a dance with my wife."

She smiled. "I told you that I wasn't that great of a dancer…"

"It was a simple dance. I'm not that great either and neither of us was injured. I think we did a pretty good job."

I threw my arm over her shoulders, holding her against me tightly. She clutched my hand, smiling up at me. I kissed her forehead for a moment before Padme's voice boomed throughout the arena. "Both Senator Organa and Senator Skywalker have made their thoughts clear. Now, what have the rest of you to say?"

There were roars of agreement above and around us. I sighed in relief. Bail and I had actually done something right. Well, he normally did. It was usually me messing things up in here… The meeting pretty much ended after Padme's ego flew through the roof. Ahsoka and I stepped out of the sphere to head into the main halls of the Senate building that were still under construction. "Senator Skywalker!" I turned around to see Bail. He ran right up to me, clapping my shoulder. "I apologize for interrupting your speech earlier. I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Offended me? Bail, you helped me. Without your voice, I'm sure the Senate might have gone the other direction. I hold no authority in there. You are the voice of reason."

Ahsoka wound her arm around mine, holding me tightly. "You initiated everything, young one. I was there for support. I wanted to help you as much as I possibly could." He turned towards Ahsoka, smiling. "Ah, Mrs. Skywalker, it's been so long since I've seen you around."

"Likewise, Senator," Ahsoka replied, smiling.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Thank you so much, Bail. I truly appreciate your assistance."

"My pleasure. I do have one question though, if you don't mind answering it."

"Of course," I responded. "What's on your mind?"

"Do I call you Senator Skywalker, Master Skywalker, or Anakin?" he laughed.

I chuckled, smiling. "Anakin sounds just fine to me, Bail."

He nodded, squeezing my shoulder. "I'll see you two good people later on. Go off and have fun," he said, winking. "Take care both of you."

"Thank you," we both replied.

I turned to Ahsoka, smiling down at her. I quickly leaned down to peck her lips. I intertwined our fingers, leading her down the hallways. "Ani! Ahsoka!" We spun around, hand in hand, to see Padme running towards us. "Good morning," she greeted, stopping in front of us.

"Good morning," I replied. Ahsoka leaned against me, still unsure as to whether or not she could really trust Padme. With all that happened before, I could understand her feelings.

"Ani, I would like to thank you. Your speech was very flattering."

I shrugged. "I'm trying to do my best when I'm _forced _to speak. My lovely wife wanted me to defend you and so I did."

She raised her eyebrow, looking at Ahsoka. "Thank you, Ahsoka, for making Ani do it. I appreciate it."

Every time Padme said _Ani,_ Ahsoka would cringe slightly. I rubbed her hand with my thumb. "My _pleasure…_" I could taste the jealousy and tension in the air as the two stared at each other. Well, it was more like _glaring _at each other…

"So…" Padme trailed off, glancing between the two of us. "Do you two still _enjoy_ each other?"

Shock blew directly off of Ahsoka and me in that moment. Ahsoka's fingers clenched tightly around mine, practically breaking them. "Ahsoka," I whispered, cautioning her.

"Anakin, shut up!" she yelled, glaring at me. She let go of my hand and lunged at Padme.

The two began clawing at each other like vicious animals. At first, I purely felt shocked, but then I decided that I needed to act. Padme was dragging Ahsoka around by her montrals and lekku. "Stop!" I screamed. I threw both of my hands out, grabbing both of them with the Force. I quickly separated them, unintentionally slamming both into the durasteel walls. I ran to Ahsoka, kneeling in front of her. I gently inspected her montrals and lekku, caressing her cheek. "Soka, talk to me." Tears were rolling down her face and she looked almost like she couldn't breathe. "Ahsoka, say something!"

"Ani –" she gasped, throwing herself against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing parts of her montrals that weren't injured. I knew how sensitive her lekku and montrals were and I was extremely furious with Padme for hurting her.

She continued to gasp and cry at the same time. I held her against me without further injuring her. "Sh," I whispered. "I've got you. You're okay. I won't let her hurt you…"

"Get me… get me out of here…" she pleaded, wiping the tears away. I carefully lifted her into my arms, being cautious of her lekku. I glanced at Padme to see her in a much less injured state and, therefore, I didn't care much about her.

I carried her out of the Senate building, placing her gently in the speeder we'd come in. I stood on her side a little longer, checking the bruises she'd received. I accidently touched one that I couldn't see and she began to cry harder. "Soka, I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"I… I know… Ani…" She tried to wipe her tears away again, but she couldn't stop. "Get… Get in… the speeder…" I leaned down, stroking her cheek slowly, wiping away her tears as they fell. I reluctantly pulled away from her, watching her as I walked quickly to the other side of the speeder. I hopped over the side, keeping my eyes on her.

She was gently stroking her lekku, trying to make herself feel better. I sighed, intensely depressed by her sadness. I started up the speeder, carefully flying back to the temple. I rested my hand on her leg, slowly rubbing it. "I'm going to talk to her about what she did to you, Ahsoka."

"Don't."

"I'm not going to let her get away with hurting –"

"Anakin, please, stop."

I pulled my gaze away from the traffic for a moment, glancing at her. "Why don't you want me to talk to her about what she just put you through?"

"Don't you see? That's what she wants! She wants you to get furious so you'll spend more time with her. She's trying to get you back! She's going to take you from me!" She pulled her knees up to her chest, crying heavily.

I swerved out of the traffic, immediately landing on some building. I scooted over, pulling her into my arms. "No one is going to take me away from you. I promise. The only person that can is _you_." She said something that I couldn't understand, but she decided not to elaborate on it. "Soka, if you don't want me to talk to Padme, then I won't. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize _us_ because I don't want to lose you." She pulled back slowly, tears all over her face. I smiled weakly at her, wiping her tears away with my hand. "Don't cry, beautiful." She weakly laughed, kissing my hand. I smiled, stroking her cheek slowly. "I love you, Ahsoka. I hate to see you so upset. I only wanted to talk to Padme because, as your husband, I will _not _tolerate anyone hurting you. You're my world and if you're broken, so am I."

"Relax, Ani. I'll be okay. I just want to lie down beside you and sleep. I'll be okay. I just don't want you to do anything that you'll regret later."

"Then let's go to sleep," I whispered. She smiled weakly at me, nodding. I started up the speeder again, flying towards the temple. All she needed right now was some downtime to relax…


	6. Invaders

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

Anakin rubbed my stomach as he held me in front of him. He was being very careful around my montrals and lekku. I truly appreciated that, but I wanted him to at least _kiss _me. Lying beside him was always wonderful because I enjoyed his presence, but I wanted more of him. I turned over to face him. "Anakin, kiss me."

He smiled, cautiously shifting his body so it wouldn't make contact with either of my lekku. His lips met mine, kissing me slowly. His hand stayed on my waist until I grabbed it, leading it to my lek. "I don't want to hurt you," he whispered around my lips.

I led him to a part of my lek that didn't hurt and forced his fingers around it. "I know you won't." He didn't hold my lek as tightly as he normally would, nor was he rubbing it. "Ani, I'll let you know if you hurt me. Just _love _me."

He watched me, making sure that I wouldn't lie to him and that I actually wanted him to make love to me. He always had to be certain about it because he didn't want to push me into something too quickly. Once he saw that I wasn't against it, he turned me over onto my back and crawled on top of me. He hovered above my lekku, craning his neck to kiss me.

**Later.**

I pulled a robe around me as I walked into the refresher. He had hurt my right lek a little, but I knew it wasn't intentional. The door hissed behind me. I glanced at the mirror to see several bruises trailing up and down my head. I rubbed the lek that Anakin's mechanical hand had damaged, wincing at the slightest touch.

I heard Anakin shift on the bed in the other room. He groaned and then his footsteps came closer to the door. "Ahsoka, are you in there?" he asked, yawning.

"Come in, Ani."

He walked in, running a hand through his messy hair. "You okay, love?" I nodded, lowering my head so he couldn't see my reflection. He moved closer wrapping his arms around my waist. "What's wrong, my love?" He turned me around slowly and gasped at the sight of my lek. He _knew. _"Ahsoka…"

"I know you didn't mean to," I spoke quickly. "But it's –"

"You said that you would tell me if I hurt you…" he whispered, his voice pained.

He lifted my lek gently, staring at it sadly. I reached up, stroking his cheek and hair. His eyes wouldn't leave the lek. I ran my finger over his scar that ran above and below his eye and down his cheek slightly. "Anakin, kiss me." It was almost as if his senses had dulled. A few tears built up in his eyes until he looked away. I leaned onto his bare chest, wrapping my arms around him. I slowly rubbed his lower back, staying away from the scars.

"Mommy? Daddy?" a small voice called out.

I heard Anakin's breath catch as he began to cry. "Ani, I'll be right back," I whispered. His arms wound around me, holding my lower body against him tightly.

The door opened behind him and Shmi entered. "Daddy, come on!"

"Shmi, honey, Daddy needs a minute. He'll be right out, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy." She turned around, skipping out of the refresher.

I stared up into his eyes. "Anakin, I'm sorry."

He sighed, raising one of his hands to his face. He cleared all traces of tears before kissing me quickly. "I love you, Ahsoka. I love you more than you know," he whispered, looking and sounding miserable because of his sadness. "And it _kills _me to see you hurt."

I placed my hands on either side of his face, pulling him into another kiss. "Everything's fine, Ani. I feel fine. I'm a little sore, but that's because of Padme."

"Padme," he spat, looking away from me. He glared down at the counter, his mechanical hand shaking at his side.

"I love you," I whispered, grabbing his hand and holding it in both of mine.

He looked back at me and lifted me onto the counter. He moved his body between my legs and leaned down to kiss me passionately. I was actually shocked by his actions. He ran his hands down my back slowly, sending shivers up my spine. I melted into his kiss, throwing my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. I wound my legs around his waist, crossing my ankles behind him. "Anakin, Ahsoka, are you in there?" Obi-Wan called out from the other room.

We both sighed, relaxing. We separated and he helped me off of the counter, placing me on my feet in front of him. I pulled the robe tighter around myself as we walked out to see Obi-Wan. "What's up?"

"We've got several incoming vessels approaching Coruscant. They're cruisers, not the small ones. We're about to be attacked."

I glanced nervously at Anakin, watching him give me a hardened look. The look of _General Skywalker._ "Can Satine watch the kids?"

He nodded at Anakin. "Of course. I'll take Shmi there. Cayden and Kaimi are still in there."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan. Ahsoka and I need to get ready. We'll meet you in the war room, all right?"

"How long will –"

"We don't have time for _that _right now. We'll be there shortly." He grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room and down a few hallways. Obi-Wan and Shmi dashed down the hallway in the opposite direction. Anakin took me into the area where clones used to go to suit up. We passed several colors of armor until we reached the section of blue pieces. He pulled two shoulder pads off of the top shelf, holding them out to me. They were Rex's… "You're my _most _trustworthy ally and I love you," he whispered. "Can you wear these in honor of him, please?" I nodded, taking them from him. They were heavier than I thought. He reached up and pulled a small chest piece down and placed it on my chest, securing it and the shoulder pads. The robe that had been wrapped around me was now on the floor. The chest piece resembled my old tube top, but it was blue. He reached up one more time, pulling down an armored skirt with shorts and heavy looking boots. Since he was better with armor, I stood there, allowing him to slip everything onto me. Everything fit _perfectly. _ Once everything was on, he straightened to inspect me, smirking. "Wow you look good…"

The blue stripes on my lekku darkened as he kissed my cheek. "I never saw these pieces before. Where did they come from?"

"My fantasy," he whispered. "I wanted you to have an armor set in the case that clones made you feel uncomfortable…"

"You designed these?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, biting his lip. "Yes…"

"How did you get the measurements?" I laughed.

"Not like _that,_" he smirked. "I went through your files and found them."

"Oh."

"I can measure you _that _way now though." He stepped forward, picking me up and wrapping my legs around his waist. My body felt slightly cramped in the armor, but I didn't want to take it off. They were special. He _personally _designed this, taking valuable hours of his time to get everything perfect and together. His lips pressed lightly against mine. I smiled, closing my eyes. We parted for breath after a few moments, smiling at each other. "You really do look amazing, Ahsoka. I couldn't picture you looking nearly this beautiful, but _now _I can."

I blushed again, leaning my face into the crook of his neck, lightly pressing my lips against his skin. "Thank you, Anakin."

"You're welcome."

"Now we need to get your armor on."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No more armor for me. I vowed that there would be no more armor on my person after the Clone War."

I rolled my eyes. "Then why am I wearing this?"

"You didn't wear armor in the Clone War, Miss 'I'm Going to Show off My Body.'"

"That's what you thought –"

"No."

"Then why –"

"I designed this because I wanted to do something nice for you. You just never got around to wearing it…"

"_You _never got around to giving it to me, mister."

"I felt… embarrassed…"

"Why?"

He stared into my eyes. "Because I was your Master and I was falling for you. Every smile, every laugh…" he sighed, smiling weakly. "I knew from the moment that I met you, the day you kicked me in the Jedi temple, that there was something in store for _us. _I just didn't think that it would be this _good._"

"Wow," I laughed. "We've known each other for almost ten years."

He pulled my legs tighter against his sides. "You have no idea how important meeting you was. I mean, sure, I ignored you for a while, but then I had to deal with you as my Padawan."

He kissed me quickly as I laughed. "_Deal with me?_"

"Well, I didn't mean –"

"Well, I'm glad you got over that phase and _manned up _to tell me that you loved me."

"I stammered and mumbled so much…" he trailed off. "How did you even comprehend what I was saying?"

"You were nervous," I shrugged. "I don't know how I heard what you said, but I was just as nervous as you. That's why our first kiss was so…"

He raised his eyebrow, smirking. "I thought I was a good kisser."

"You are. If you weren't, I wouldn't ask you to kiss me."

"More like _beg,_ but okay." He set me down, lightly rubbing the bare part of my leg. The shorts were way above my knees and the boots were just above them.

"I don't beg."

"'_Love me, Ani, love me!_'" he said, attempting to mock me. He burst into laughter.

"I do _not _sound like _that!_"

"But you're not denying that you said that," he said, smirking again. I smacked his chest and he pulled me against him. "I love you," he whispered, leaning down to lightly kiss my lek in the same spot he'd accidentally hurt, "with my heart _and _soul."

"And I love you with mine."

He smiled warmly, taking my hand in his. "Okay, well, I'm still kind of shirtless, so I think I'd better grab my outfit…"

"You look better this way."

He leaned down, kissing me lightly. "I bet I do, but the…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. He couldn't say _enemies _because we were fighting our _friends._ We both shrugged, running out of the armory and back into our bedroom. His comlink was beeping across the room. "Snips, can you get that?"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling as he dashed across the room to get his clothes. I grabbed his comlink. "Skywalker here."

He twisted slightly to stare at me like that had been something he never thought I'd say. "_Ahsoka, are you two almost finished? We've got intruders in the hangar. There's only a few of us here. I couldn't locate Yoda or Plo._"

Anakin fixed his vest and ran over to me. "We're on our way now." He clipped the com onto his glove, pulling both of our lightsabers into his hands. He handed me mine, kissing my cheek. "Stay with me. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll always be by your side, Skyguy."

He smiled widely for a moment before we both dashed out of the room. Our boots sounded and felt very heavy while we ran down the hallways. The sound echoed off of the walls until we came closer to several blasts. "Obi-Wan!" Anakin yelled as an explosion shook the hangar. We stopped in the entrance to the hangar, coughing violently due to the smoke around us. "Obi-Wan!" he called out again.

He mustered up all of his Force energy, releasing it by pushing forward. The cloud of smoke disappeared, displaying several Togrutas that looked angry and relieved all at the same time. We ignited our lightsabers, standing back to back. "I'm assuming we don't have a plan," I muttered.

"I'm working on it," he whispered. Sadly, he didn't have enough time. Volts of electricity began to course through us until we blacked out.


	7. Shili

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I groaned as I opened my eyes to see a bright light. I glanced around, seeing an unfamiliar setting. "Anakin?" I called out.

"Ahsoka?" That wasn't my husband. I turned to see an elderly Togruta. "My daughter, is this you?"

I pushed myself off of the cold, marble floor to see the elder wearing a long, elaborate robe. There was a golden crown with several diamonds and jewels embedded into it on his head. I reached down to my waist to see my lightsaber missing. "What do you want?"

"Ahsoka?"

"Where is my husband?"

He laughed. "I'm so glad to see that you are eager to meet your husband. Jermani! Bring Kaeyn out. Your original suitor must have perished since he did not return. Luckily, I have chosen many suitors."

"No! Where is my _husband! _ I'm married!" I screamed.

"Excuse me?"

I clutched my head in my hands, not being able to sense Anakin. "Ani?" I whispered into the bond. After a few moments, there was still nothing. A hand rested on my shoulder and I looked up to see the man closer to me. He _did _look like me. I slapped his hand away. "Was anyone else brought here with me?"

"Just a few pesky humans, my dear. They will be dealt with properly."

"_Dealt with?_"

"Of course. The older ones will be used in our arenas to fight our soldiers as training. The younger ones will be used for much more, _useful _reasons."

"Where are they?"

"That is not your concern."

I growled, my fury becoming much more dominant. "I _want _to see them right _now!_"

"Ahsoka, I know you are strong with the Force, as are they. Your Force abilities will do nothing for you here. The prisoners will, as I have said, be dealt with. They are no longer your concern." He turned away from me. "Ah, Kaeyn! It's good to see you. This is my daughter, Ahsoka Tano."

"I'm Ahsoka _Skywalker,_" I sneered at them.

"Nonsense."

Kaeyn moved forward, bowing. He took my hand, kissing it lightly. "Hello, my darling. You and I will live a wonderful life together."

I pulled my hand back, glaring up at him. "She requires some time to get used to you, Kaeyn. Do not be offended. Ahsoka, my daughter, please go with Alesk to your room. She will prepare you for tonight's banquet."

I rolled my eyes, turning around to see the woman that used to take care of me as a child. She was the one who discovered my Force-sensitivity. She reached her hands out for me, motioning to follow. I walked past Kaeyn and my father, walking out of the room with her. "Princess, oh, how I have missed you…" she whispered when we were alone.

I hugged her tightly. "I've missed you, too, Ali."

I pulled back to see tears in her eyes. "I'd hoped you might come back to us someday, but I wish the circumstances were different."

"As do I," I whispered. "Ali, where have the men who came with me been taken?"

She frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know, my dear. I do know, however, that one of the prisoners is your mate. He's human then?"

I smiled weakly. "Yes, he's human. He's not as bad as you think –"

"If you two have married, then I know he's not as bad as I believe. I know the customs here and on Coruscant are different. The man actually _proposes _to the woman. If he proposed to you, then he truly loves you."

"That's one thing I love about living with humans," I sighed. "Proposal means commitment to them. Here, fathers thrust men upon their daughters, hoping that everything works out in the end."

We began walking down the long hallways until we reached my bedroom. "Ahsoka, you seem happy."

"Well, not because of my father."

"I know it's because of your husband. I'm glad to see you so happy. I thought that you might be able to escape being forced into a marriage. Had you been here when you were sixteen, you might have been married off, but your father couldn't get a hold of the temple."

"I was pregnant."

"Excuse me?"

"He got me pregnant when I was sixteen and I had my daughter on my seventeenth birthday."

"A daughter?" she smiled. "What did you two name her?"

"Kaimi."

"That's a beautiful name."

"We also have a son, Cayden. He was born several months ago. We're taking care of his daughter from a previous relationship as well."

She raised her eye markings. "Quite the family you've made already, my dear."

"I love it," I sighed.

She started removing the pieces of armor that Anakin had put on me. "Why is all of this on you?"

"He doesn't want anything to happen to me, plus he actually _made _this for me."

She paused in removing the shoulder pads. "He made this set of armor?"

"He sure did."

"Quite the man you've gotten yourself. Kaeyn would never do such a thing for you. He's been here for some time and I've grown tired of him already."

"I don't think anyone my father chooses for me will be a good husband. They don't know me and I don't know them. All they want from marrying me is sex and power. My husband isn't like that…"

"I'd love to meet this man. You'll have to point him out to me if we see him."

"Why would we see him? Isn't he being held captive?"

"Oh, right," she shook her head. "You haven't been here for years, my darling. The lucky prisoners serve dinner during the banquet. The unlucky ones, however, are used for entertainment to please your father."

I stared at her in horror. "I really hope he's one of the lucky ones then…"

"If we get you prepared quickly, the banquet will begin and we'll see if he is or not."

I quickly began to take the armor off, placing them neatly in a pile on a chair while Alesk went to get something for me to change into. She brought an elegant looking, blue dress into the room, placing it on a chair next to the door. I quickly threw it onto myself. "Ali, I have the dress on."

She entered once again, coming in to fix the dress as best as she could. She made me _look _like a princess. She lifted my hand to see my wedding ring, smiling at it. "All right, my dear." She led me out of my bedroom and down to the dining hall.

We entered to see roughly twenty Togrutas sitting around a large table. "Princess," many of them began whispering.

I glanced around nervously, quickly searching for Anakin. Alesk led me to my seat beside my father. Kaeyn was sitting on the opposite side of him, facing me. I couldn't look at either of them. "Bring out the dinner and let us begin our feast!"

Several large doors opened behind him and I couldn't help but look. Several Jedi walked out, surrounded by guards, carrying dishes for us to eat from. Each dish contained a different food. I saw Obi-Wan. He glanced at me sadly while walking closer to me. He placed a dish in front of me. "He's in trouble."

"Nothing new for him," I whispered.

"No. I mean _real _trouble. Like when Palpatine had him."

I stared up at him in horror as he slowly began to pull back. "Obi-Wan, we need a plan right now."

"I'm trying to form one as we speak, but the guards make it difficult. I'll give you a signal when I figure something out."

He pulled away, taking another dish down the table. I watched him as I tried to think quickly. I glanced around the room, seeing no windows. Guards blocked every entrance and my father said that my Force abilities would be useless. Obi-Wan stood behind my chair with his guard. I glanced at my father as he began to speak. "Friends and family," he greeted. "We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the return of our beloved princess. She and the Maek son will unite our kingdom once again." Everyone smiled and cheered around the table while I shrunk into my seat. I glanced back at Obi-Wan for a moment to see him raise an eyebrow. "Now eat well, my friends!"

Everyone around me began to eat savagely while I sat there. I turned around to face Obi-Wan, the guard now gone. "We need to make this plan _soon._ I can't go through with marrying that guy."

"I don't think Anakin would appreciate it if you did. I'm waiting for him to get out here. I have an idea."

"You do know that the Force won't work here, right?"

He frowned. "That I did not know…"

"It won't. So whatever you had planned, it won't work. We actually have to fight our way out of here without relying on the Force."

He sighed, going back to his deep thought process. Halfway through everyone's meal, my father clapped his hands together. "And now, _the entertainment._" The smile on his face deeply disturbed me. "Bring out the show!"

The large doors opened once again and Anakin was forced out into the room, falling to his knees. An electrostaff was jabbed into his bare back and he cried out in agony. I cringed, trying not to show my father that this was my husband. If he found out, he might have him killed.

There were Force bonds on his wrists and a metallic collar around his neck. I glanced back at Obi-Wan quickly, seeing his horrific stare towards Anakin. I could tell that he was trying to restrain himself as well, knowing that anything we did would result in severe consequences for Anakin. "Get up," a guard grunted. Several of the people around me began to laugh as he breathed heavily on the floor.

He pushed himself up as best as he could, almost falling back down again. His eyes met mine and I could see the frenzied look in them. He wanted to desperately get out of here and I could just see him having flashbacks of the untold tales of Palpatine's torture.

He reached his hands out towards my father, trying with all his might to Force-choke him. The collar around his neck shocked him until he fell to his knees once again, screaming in agony. I could barely control the tears that wanted to fall by watching him. I was furious with the amount of laughing going on around me.

I put my face in my hand, trying to force him to stop screaming. My heart was breaking as I heard it. It finally stopped, I assumed, when he stopped trying to kill my father. I looked up from my palm to see him breathing heavily again. The guard pulled out a whip and slashed at his back. His head rose, displaying pure agony. I looked behind me at Obi-Wan, his face showing almost the same expression of sadness as mine. "We need to do something, _now._"

He glanced across the room to meet the eyes of another Jedi and nodded. I glanced around slowly seeing several nods from the Jedi across the room. Without warning, each man jumped at their guards and hopefully someone sitting at the table.

Obi-Wan grabbed me, pulling a knife from the table. He slammed me against his chest as my father spun around. "Release her!"

Anakin looked up, yet another look of frenzy in his eyes. "Release us and we'll let her go." He waved his hands and all the guards moved away from the Jedi. Obi-Wan sidestepped with me, taking me towards Anakin. I saw Kaeyn wishing he could kill Obi-Wan and I hoped that he wouldn't have that chance. "Pick him up," Obi-Wan said in his commanding tone. I knelt down and pulled Anakin into my arms.

"Soka…" he whispered so only I could hear him.

"It's okay, Ani, it's okay."

I pulled him up into a standing position beside me. I glanced at Alesk, now standing in a corner, to see her knowing look. She nodded, smiling at me. "Where is your medical station?" Obi-Wan asked, holding the knife towards me.

Anakin wrapped his arm around my shoulder, using me for support. I didn't mind. He wasn't all that heavy, luckily. "We have one in the east wing. Alesk, take them there. Make sure they don't harm my daughter."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Alesk came towards us, leading us out of the dining hall. Obi-Wan walked behind me as I carried Anakin. Once we were out of the hall, Obi-Wan dropped the knife and wrapped Anakin's other arm around his shoulder. The hand on Anakin's back was soaking with blood and I stared up at his face, seeing his exhausted look along with traces of his pain.

We brought him into the medical area, helping him sit on the bed. Alesk ran around, finding bandages. Once she did, she began to cover up the marks on Ani's back. He held my hand tightly, smiling weakly at me, wincing when Alesk would put too much pressure on his back. "You're going to be okay, Ani. I promise."

"I know," he whispered.


	8. Failed Escape

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

The woman – Alesk, I believe – kept giving me curious looks. She came over to me while Ahsoka talked some things over with Obi-Wan. "You're her husband."

"Yes," I whispered, watching her.

She lifted her hands to my neck, attempting to take the collar off. The Force bonds on my wrists were easily removable, but the collar itself wasn't. "We may need one of the guards to remove this, my dear."

"That's very risky though," I responded. I glanced over at Ahsoka's back. "I can't let her father keep her here. Does he even know that I'm her husband?"

She shook her head. "Her father won't listen to a word she says unless it's that she's willing to marry Kaeyn. I know she won't betray you or allow anymore harm to come to you. I can sense her protective aura. She cares deeply about you, young one."

"I know she does," I whispered. "She tried to defend me against the Togrutas that attacked us on Coruscant. I've never doubted the fact that she loves me."

She lifted my left hand, removing the glove to observe my wedding ring. "She told me a little about you."

"Good things, I hope…" I laughed.

"Of course. She couldn't say anything otherwise. I've never seen her so in love, but, then again, I haven't seen her in seventeen years. She's so happy. I'm glad she left Shili. I missed her and it broke my heart to let her go, but I knew it was for the best and I wasn't disappointed."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. We've been married for two years and I've felt like I've dragged her down instead of making her life better. I know she loves the kids, but I feel that maybe she's too young to be the mother of two children." I laughed, shaking my head. "Three if she's taking on my other daughter…"

"If she believed she was too young, she would have told you. How old are you?"

"I'm almost twenty eight."

She nodded, disengaging herself from the conversation to head into deep thought. I glanced back at Ahsoka just as she turned to come back to me. "Ani," she whispered, placing her hands on either side of my face. She pulled my face closer to hers, briefly kissing me. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be, Soka." I closed my eyes as her lips lightly brushed against mine. "I love you."

"I love you." Her lips fully pressed against mine, hands resting on my legs. I circled my arms around her waist, rubbing her lower back.

I heard Obi-Wan clear his throat and I immediately wanted to kill him. "As touching as this moment is and as much as I _love _to see you both shove your tongues down each other's throats, we do have company outside."

Ahsoka pulled herself away from me, becoming the aggressive protector once again. There wasn't much I could do because of the collar around my neck and the pain in my back… Alesk stepped closer to Ahsoka. "The Force is usable in here. They won't fight here. They'll try to lead you to another area of the fortress that blocks your abilities."

I stood up, placing my hands on Ahsoka's waist. "Don't let the anger get to you," I whispered near her montrals, kissing the side lightly. "That will lead you down a path that I may not be able to bring you back from. I can't lose you, Ahsoka."

She relaxed slightly, leaning against my bare chest. "I'm not going to fall to the dark side, Ani."

I moved my hand towards hers, taking it. Our fingers intertwined tightly. "I'm not going to let you fall to the dark side," I promised.

I could feel her anger wash out of her through her touch though my senses were disrupted heavily by the collar. Alesk moved to the door, opening it. "There is no need for violence here. I have witnessed everything they've said, everything they've done. The man is healing. Neither is of any threat to us."

"Where is the princess? We are to make sure she's safe."

"I'm right here," Ahsoka called out.

Obi-Wan muttered, "I left the blasted knife out in the hall!"

"They know we're defenseless," I whispered. "Obi-Wan, be ready for a fist fight."

He nodded, taking a position across the room. "Anakin, would you act like you're holding Ahsoka hostage?"

"With what, my good looks?"

He rolled his eyes and Ahsoka giggled. She reached out to the left and pulled some sharp tool from a stand. "Use this. Hold it to my neck."

I leaned my face closer to her, nibbling at her neck. "I'd hold you hostage like this," I moaned.

"As much as you know I'd like that, now isn't the time, my love. I need you to act like you'll kill me to get what you want. We need our lightsabers back now."

"I just want this collar off of my neck."

"I'll try to get them to do it. You just need to threaten me very well."

I was slightly nervous about that. I held the tool close to her neck, taking her out of the medical room. I had one arm around her waist as I sidestepped into the hallway. The guards had spears aimed directly at me. "Release the princess."

"Where are our weapons?" I asked.

"We cannot give them to you."

"Then I guess the princess is going to suffer, isn't she?" I lightly tapped Ahsoka's neck with the tool and she cried out in fear – not real fear, of course. She began to beg that I release her. "Again, I ask, where are our weapons?"

One Togruta said something to another. The second one ran off. "Do not harm the princess or you'll regret it, _human._"

"Why hurt something so precious? She clearly means a lot to you, so if I kill her, I'll lose my leverage over you." I pulled Ahsoka backwards, keeping the tool pressed against her neck. She knew I wouldn't do something stupid. Well, she trusted me more than I trusted myself.

"Release my daughter at once you monster!"

Her father appeared out of nowhere, growling in fury. "I'll kill her if you make any more demands of me," I said coolly.

"You will do no such thing," he laughed. "Do you believe me to be a blind fool?" I lightly tapped Ahsoka's neck with the tool. She falsely cried out in slight pain, beginning to whimper. Her father cringed, glaring at me. "My daughter is _innocent._"

"She won't be if we don't get our weapons back. I can think of far _worse _things to torment her with. You wouldn't want that, _would you?_"

"You sick, _twisted _son of a –"

I laughed. "Now, now, every word out of your mouth brings me one step closer to ending all of our troubles. The princess will be _mine _forever if you don't get our weapons."

"Let me have my daughter back and I will personally see to it that your demands are met."

"Turn around," I ordered Ahsoka. She spun around looking up at me. "Kiss me," I commanded, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Don't do it, Ahsoka!"

I saw her _suitor_ arrive. "Now," I growled. She moved slowly, acting afraid of me. I lightly tapped her neck again, resulting in more whimpers. She pulled my head down to kiss me passionately. I heard Obi-Wan sigh behind me.

"That's quite enough! She is to be _my _bride!"

Her hands grabbed at the hem of my pants, lightly tracing my skin. We both pulled away quickly. I turned her around to face the Togrutas. I licked my lips as my eyes locked with the suitor's. "She's a _really _good kisser."

He growled, jumping forward. Instinctively and protectively, I pulled Ahsoka out of the way, sidestepping out of his reach. I threw my arm back and jabbed his leg with the medical tool. Ahsoka was pulled out of my arms and Obi-Wan was standing in front of me like a shield, defending me.

I glanced up to see her being held by her father. The men with spears stood in front of them, almost like Obi-Wan was standing in front of me, but they had the look of death on their faces.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered. "I think now is a good time to improvise…"

"Ya think?" I watched him begin to focus. Kaeyn – the suitor – threw himself down at me once more, beginning to assault me. I, however, had the upper _mechanical _hand. I slammed his chest, throwing him off of me, resulting in him crashing against the far wall. "Could you focus just a little faster, Obi-Wan?" I growled.

The guards stepped forward, spears jutting out towards me. I kicked them away and jumped over the guards at they swung their spears back to attempt to hit me this time. I threw my hand out instinctively, forgetting that I was restricted from using the Force. I tried to push them backwards, but I ended up crashing down onto the floor as volts of electricity raced through me. I stopped using the Force, clenching my teeth together tightly to muffle the screams that wanted to escape my lips. "Ani!"

I looked up to see her being dragged away from me. I pushed myself up quickly, pushing the pain aside, and jumped at her father. She was _thrown _out of the way as he landed face down onto the carpeted floor.

I got back up and she crashed against my chest. I saw Obi-Wan get taken down, his focus completely gone. There was nothing he or I could do, so I did what I did best. "Come on," I whispered harshly as I grabbed Ahsoka's hand, leading her away from the scene. I tried to find some weapons locker, but there didn't seem to be anything.

I could buy us some time by sneaking through the halls, but I was so unfamiliar with my surroundings. I couldn't even ask Ahsoka for help because she hadn't been here in years. I felt like I was running _blind. _I had absolutely no senses. Ahsoka stopped abruptly, tugging me back towards her. She pressed herself against me, rubbing my chest. "I love you so much and I'm so sorry for dragging you into this."

"I love you just as much regardless of the situation. Don't apologize," I whispered.

"Can we keep the collar so _I_ can hold _you _hostage?" she whispered, kissing my chest slowly.

I chuckled, pulling her into a darkened hallway. "I'm yours to hold hostage whenever you please, with or without the collar," I whispered as I leaned down to kiss her passionately.

"You bet you are," she laughed.

I slammed her back against a wall, cushioning her rear lek with my hand and began running my hands all over her body, being very considerate around her lekku. She moaned into my mouth, running her fingers through my hair, pulling strands as she went. I was considering getting a haircut, but then what would she enjoy while we're kissing? She'd made the comment in the past about how much she loved to feel my hair, seeing as though she didn't have any. Our children did, so she felt slightly left out.

Then again, the last time I got a haircut was during our honeymoon almost three years ago. That was the first _and _the last time I'd ever let Soka cut my hair. I remember the look of horror on her face when she realized how much she'd actually cut off. Luckily, I'd had time for it to grow back again. "Back away from the princess!"

"Fantastic," we both breathed against each other's mouth. We separated to see four guards with electrostaffs. How did they get those?

I sighed, remembering how I'd been abused with these weapons when Palpatine held me captive. "You've got to be kidding me…" If one of those even came close to me or Ahsoka, I'd lose it.


	9. From One Thing to Another

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I held Anakin's hand as we were forcibly led back to the throne room. My father was perched upon his throne, holding his head in a disappointed position. "And so you wish to throw away this vast kingdom… for this _human?_"

"I'm not throwing anything away for him. I'm _gaining _everything I could possibly want."

"What has _he _given you that Kaeyn cannot?"

"_Love and family._"

"Kaeyn can love you and give you beautiful children. At least they will be normal."

Anakin's grip tightened as I stepped forward, pulling him with me. "I already have _three _beautiful children with my _husband!_"

Alesk was standing beside my father's throne, smiling down at me for standing up for myself. He raised his head angrily. "You have been… _taken _by this human? Do you _not _see who this evil man is? He has _poisoned _you and will destroy our people!"

"How is he the _poisoner?_ I would have killed you by now if that prophecy had been true."

"You are weak," he spoke slowly.

"Answer my question!"

"He was to be one with the Fallen, spirits of sin. When he kills you, your soul will forever drift in this lifetime without rest."

Anakin's fury was almost tangible even through our muddied senses. "I will not kill her!" Anakin yelled, his voice echoing in the large room.

"You are not permitted to speak!"

The guards stepped forward, slamming the electrostaff against his back. He cringed, arching backwards as he forced himself not to scream. "Stop!" I pleaded. They removed their staves and he fell, controlling his screams, turning them into whimpers that were barely audible. I knelt down beside him, holding him close to me. "Father, if you kill him, I _will _kill you."

"You would go against your family? Your people?"

"Ahsoka," Anakin breathed heavily, his body shaking. "Don't do this."

"I would destroy Shili if it meant you'd stop tormenting him."

He laughed, standing as Kaeyn entered. "Kaeyn, it appears as though you have competition for my daughter's heart. Human, do you accept a duel to fight for my daughter?"

"There is no –"

Anakin pushed himself up into a standing position, though his breath was labored. I hoped beyond hope that Ani would say no, but two fateful words escaped his lips. "_I accept._"

"Good! Call the kingdom. Tell them that a duel will take place within the next twelve hours."

"No!" I cried out. Anakin's arms wound around my waist, pulling me back to restrain me from charging up to my father and assaulting him.

Kaeyn nodded, smirking as he left to inform the kingdom of the new event. "Alesk!" my father snapped. "Take them to Ahsoka's room. _Watch them._"

Ali nodded, moving towards us. I pulled Anakin close to me and we began walking towards my room once again. I pushed him down onto the bed, lying down beside him. I turned over, throwing my arm across his chest. "Ani, you don't have to do this."

"I'll fight to the end for you," he whispered, kissing the side of my montral.

"You don't understand. Togruta males are viciously protective of what they believe is their property."

"And you don't think _human _males are?"

"Anakin, I didn't mean –"

He sat up slowly, moving my arm away from him. He turned to stare at the sheets beside my body sadly. "_I would give my life for you._ I won't let him take you away from me."

"But you're so –"

"_Weak?_" His eyes met mine. I could see the painful look and hear it in his voice.

"I didn't say that. We both know that you aren't. You're so… _damaged. _I don't want you to lose your life because of me. Anakin, do you know how I'll feel if I cause your death?"

"Losing my life for you is worth it if I kill him first."

"But you don't understand how this duel works. You have no chance at all."

"Thanks," he sighed. His hand ran up and down my leg slowly. "Explain it to me then."

I closed my eyes. "Unless they changed things, you're fighting each other with spears within a small fire pit. A ring of fire will surround you both. No one will be able to help you. It's a fight to the death. The fire _knows _when one person is left and so it'll fall when the duel is over."

"So what you're saying is that no one will see us?"

"Correct."

"Can I use the Force then?"

Alesk stepped forward. "They know you're Force-sensitive. They'll restrict you as much as they possibly can so Kaeyn can win. They favor him over you because you're a human."

"_Lovely._"

"Ani, I'm –"

"Don't, Soka."

Alesk headed off into a different room, leaving us alone. He rolled over, hovering above me. I watched his blue eyes soften just before he closed them to press his lips against mine. I closed my eyes, feeling the muscles on his arms for a minute before tracing his chest. Without any warning whatsoever, I felt his _want _for my body and I laughed. "It will take some time for the entire kingdom to arrive."

He began to breathe heavily, his eyes still closed. "There's… always… another –"

"I'll give you something to fight for, my love," I whispered, breathing against his neck. He smirked, pressing his lips against mine for another passionate kiss.

**Later.**

I woke up to see Anakin sitting cross legged with his eyes closed. His hands rested on his knees and he looked like he was frozen in place. He was fully clothed in a Togruta war outfit. It was so… _different _to see spikes on his shoulders. The spiked boots were across the room. "Ani?"

"Sh," Ali whispered, entering the room.

I jumped slightly, pulling the blanket around myself. She chuckled. "You don't have anything that I haven't seen before, my dear. Your husband wanted to try… _Force-regeneration_, I believe."

"Really?" I asked, raising my eye markings.

"That's what he said he was going to do."

I watched him curiously. He looked so… _peaceful, _with the exception of his Force collar. I didn't understand how he was using regeneration with it on. "How can he do that?"

"It's a very passive ability, I assume. Pushing or choking is extremely aggressive, therefore being recognized with the collar."

"Hm," I muttered. "I hope he's healed himself enough by the time Kaeyn comes back with the kingdom."

"Ahsoka," she whispered. "Have you any idea where my bloodlines come from? Do you know anything of my background?" I shook my head, growing curious. I pulled my knees up to my chest, glancing at Anakin for a moment. He breathed slowly, almost like he didn't have to. I watched his shoulders rise and fall slowly with each intake and release of breath. I really hoped that Kaeyn wouldn't kill him… "Little one, I come from a long line of seers. I know when things will happen before they do. I knew you were going to be Force-sensitive, that you were going to marry Anakin. This was all before you were even born, my dear. I knew that your mother would pass when she did and that you would be called to take her place. I have seen that our kingdom will prosper with a new line of royalty. Your father must not survive," she whispered.

"Does Anakin survive the duel with Kaeyn?"

"Only time will tell you, little one. I cannot tell you that which has not happened yet."

"But you're telling me that my father will die. Why can't you tell me whether or not my husband will survive? You know that I can't live without him!"

"If I say he lives, I may ruin his chances. He may become overconfident and end up getting himself killed. If I say he perishes in battle, he will lose all hope and won't put up a fight. Either way, he'll get himself killed. It's best to leave his fate in _his _hands. He will determine whether he survives or not, not me."

I sighed in frustration, leaning against Anakin's back. It was slightly difficult to avoid the spikes on his shoulders, but I managed. He breathed in heavily. "Ahsoka," he whispered.

I pulled back, afraid that I had just disrupted his regeneration. "How are you feeling, Ani?"

His eyes opened and he turned to face me, smiling. I could see a new light in his eyes. He looked… _better._ "I'm feeling wonderful. It's been a long time since I've felt this peaceful." I smiled up at him as he leaned back to kiss me. Ali laughed in the corner before leaving once again. His spikes jabbed me in the shoulder and I made a small cry of pain. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, pulling away from me. "Alesk said I should be ready, but I didn't want to hurt you…"

"Hurt me all you want now because when we get back to Coruscant, I promise I will chain you to that bed. I'm keeping this collar, whether it stays on you or travels with us."

He chuckled, smiling widely. "I'll beg for you to keep it on me."

I kissed his cheek lightly. "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you, Soka."

"Ani, do you think the kids are all right?"

"Of course. We left them with Satine and Padme. They'll be just fine. Don't make this like our honeymoon, please," he laughed. "If I'm worrying as much as you are, I'm going to die for sure." My heart stopped for a minute and my mind conjured up the image of my husband lying on the Shili grounds… _cold and lifeless._ He must have noticed that I'd completely stopped moving altogether just after he'd finished pulling his boots on. "Soka! Breathe!" I blinked, jumping. His hands were on either side of my face, turning me to look at him. "Don't scare me like that," he sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," I whispered, looking away from him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I muttered.

"Talk to me."

"What if I don't want to?" I said, sounding like a child as I leaned over the side of the bed to pull my dress over my head. He pulled himself away from me and I felt the bed move as he got up. I looked up at him to see his back. He was_ leaving_ the room. "No!" I pleaded. "Don't leave…" He hesitated at the entrance, his hand on the door. I stood up, running across the room. "Don't leave me," I whispered, desperate for his presence.

He turned slowly, staring down at me. "I just want to help you and you're making things _difficult._ Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, tears beginning to trickle down my face. "I just don't want to picture you as a lifeless body, Anakin…"

His arms touched my back, rubbing it and my rear lek slowly. "I won't bring _that _up again. I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I didn't mean to upset you by saying that."

"I know," I whispered, pulling my hands up to wipe my tears away. He pulled back slightly, releasing my body, to move my hands out of the way. His thumb wiped the tears away instead.

"I love you and you know that I'd never intentionally do or say something to lose you, right?"

I laughed, throwing my hands up to clasp together behind his neck – of course, it was slightly difficult with the shoulder pads. "Of course I know that. I hope you know that the same goes for me. I love you and –"

He smirked, kissing me passionately. There was a brief knock on the door and we slowly began to separate. Ali was standing in the doorway, smiling. "As much as I love to see you both so happy and passionate about each other, it's time…"

Two guards entered carrying Force bonds. Anakin quickly turned back to me, kissing me one last time. "I love you. Don't worry, okay?" he whispered. I nodded slowly, feeling that I was going to break.

The guards put the Force bonds on his wrists and tugged him out of my bedroom. Ali took my arm and led me out to the arena where we would sit and wait for the outcome of the battle. It hurt my heart to think that, if Anakin died, I wouldn't be able to see how Kaeyn did it. If my husband's life was taken from me, I'd take Kaeyn's the same way, but that opportunity was stripped from me…

The only thing I could do now was to hope that Anakin could pull this off.


	10. The Duel

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was shoved into a ring in the center of an arena. I could see where the fire would come up during the battle. I glanced around me, feeling my heart sink as several Togrutas told Kaeyn to finish me off. Kaeyn, the soon-to-be King of Shili if I failed, was standing in a corner, flexing his muscles for the Togruta women. He was wearing an armor set similar to mine. I rolled my eyes as I peered through the crowd looking for the one woman that I would show off for.

I found her and I saw her worried look. I smiled warmly at her, hoping that she wouldn't worry so much. I wish she wouldn't worry. If I couldn't handle the man trying to steal her away from me, then I had nothing to live for. I wouldn't be able to protect her or my children if I couldn't defend myself against Kaeyn. The guards removed the Force bonds from my wrists and made sure that the collar was tight around my neck. They told me to try a Force ability and I glared at them, realizing that they wanted me to be weakened before fighting. They chuckled, giving me my spear. "Good luck, human. You'll need it." Kaeyn walked towards me, receiving his spear as well. "May the best man win."

I took one last glance in Ahsoka's direction and I instantly felt that I was going to lose this. What if we'd just kissed for the last time, made love for the last time? She would be given away like a _prize _to this man. Our children would grow up without either of their parents. I would fail her, Kaimi, Cayden, Shmi, _and _myself.

I growled. I _can't _fail. I have no margin of error in this duel. If I lose, then all is lost. I can't risk anything because there's too much at stake. Ahsoka's life, the lives of my children… they were too much to risk. "I _can _do this," I whispered to myself.

I turned back to face Kaeyn, holding my spear tightly between both of my hands. The announcer somewhere within the arena began to speak. "_Thank you all for gathering here with us today. King Ahlok has brought us here to witness a duel for his daughter's heart. I think we all know who will emerge victorious though,_" he laughed. His laugh received more along with it.

Even Kaeyn laughed. "You have no chance at surviving this battle, human. You're weak and pathetic. Princess Ahsoka deserves me, for I am all that she needs. I can protect her and give her the _right _kind of love."

"So you think you can have sex with her better than me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He growled and I smirked. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Just you wait until that fire wall comes up. I will show no mercy upon you, _human. _You're a pathetic waste of space and time."

"Ahsoka doesn't think so. She thinks _you _are a pathetic waste of space and time."

"Why you little –"

I laughed as I dodged his first jab towards me. The crowd was stunned by his move. "_Penalty One against Kaeyn,_" the announcer said solemnly. The crowd booed around us and I continued to smirk. "_Seeing as though both duelists are prepared, the fire wall will be raised._"

"And now you will die."

I clenched my fists around the wooden handle until my knuckles turned extremely white. "We'll see."

The fire wall rose around us and he charged me, crying out in fury. I dodged, leaping over him. I held my spear in front of me as he turned around and came at me with full speed. The spears collided with each other, wood against wood. "This is all you've got, _human?_ You have no courage to take a swing at me?"

He began to press me backwards until I was down on one knee. I watched his body for a moment, predicting his next move. He raised the spear up slightly – not giving me enough room to run him through – and I could see that he was going to slam the spearhead down on me. I rolled out of the way, kicking behind his knee with all of my might. The spikes jammed themselves in and he cried out.

I pulled away before he could spin around and swing at me. I flipped backwards and charged at him, jabbing the spearhead into his arm. I immediately regretted that because he snapped the spear itself in two. "Damn!" I cried out. What a weak weapon to give two men during a duel…

He growled and laughed at me. "It is I who will always defeat the weak," he sneered.

He kicked my chest, throwing me backwards. I briefly sailed into the fire wall and my back was burned. I cried out, quickly moving away. He came at me again, kicking my jaw this time. I heard the crack, but couldn't really comprehend that it was in pain. I shoved the spikes on my boots into his leg again. I felt weak without being able to call on the Force for help, but this is how normal humans fought, I assumed.

I quickly crawled across the sandy ground towards where my spearhead was lying on the ground. Sure, it was separated from the rest of the spear, but it could make for a nice dagger of some sort. "Come on, come on," I whispered, reaching. My fingers were within inches of it before I received another kick, this time to my ribs.

I managed to pull the spearhead in before curling into my body at the amount of pain I was now beginning to feel. He began to cackle madly as he hovered over me. "Useless," he muttered. I inhaled as he raised his arms high above his head. I took that moment to roll over, despite the pain. I quickly stood and charged at his chest as he slammed his spear into the ground. I kicked his hands away from the wooden piece and he fell backwards in shock.

I growled as I slammed the spearhead into his chest. It didn't go in very deep because he wore a thicker armor piece, but it did go into his skin. He clutched the edge, trying to pull it out. While he was distracted, I spun around and pulled his spear out of the ground. I turned and he stared at me, eyes widened. "Now who's _useless?_"

I shoved the spear into his chest, just below where I'd originally stabbed him. This time, I knew I'd gone for the kill and I felt no remorse as I did so. He clutched at the lower end of the wooden piece, gagging on his last breath. He stared up into my eyes, though I'm sure he couldn't see me very well. His eyes were glazed over and he frowned. "I have… underestimated… _you…_" I still held onto the upper end as I stared down at him coldly. He pushed himself off of the ground and I was stunned. He pulled the dagger out of his chest, staring at me without seeing. "But you… have underestimated… me…"

He slammed the piece into my chest, coming extremely close to killing me. I cried out, gasping. He crumpled to the ground, taking the spear with him. I released the wooden part, clawing at the dagger in my chest. There was plenty of blood seeping out of it, but I couldn't pull it out.

I fell to my knees, my vision beginning to blur. I saw the fire wall go down, hearing several cheers for only a moment. I heard gasps beyond my own comprehension. No one had expected me to survive. I blinked several times before staring up at the blurry orange mass. I couldn't pick out any faces. I clutched the dagger embedded into my chest and fell forward, becoming enveloped in darkness.

**Later.**

"_Ani. Ani, wake up._" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes to a bright light. I cried out in agony as a searing pain raced through my chest. "Don't move," she whispered.

I gasped at the pain that I began to feel in the rest of my body. "Soka," I whispered. It didn't sound like I'd whispered her name though. My voice sounded strained and muffled. My jaw was in just as much pain as the rest of my body.

"Don't talk either," she chuckled. "Our medics are treating your injuries, but they don't have any bacta cloth. You'll have to hold out until we get you back to Coruscant, sweetheart."

I entered our bond, speaking into it. "Where are we now?"

She held my hand, rubbing my palm with her thumb. "_We're back in the medical ward. My father won't allow us to leave because he can't accept your victory. Kaeyn's body has already been disposed of._"

"Are you kidding me?"

"_No. I'm sorry, Anakin. I've been trying my hardest to speak to him and make him see reason, but he believes that Kaeyn was better for me and that you should have died in battle. I'm so glad you survived though_," she whispered, climbing onto the medical bed to lie beside me. "_You have no idea how much fear I felt when I saw you drop to the ground after the duel was finished. I thought I'd lost you…_"

"It would have been worth it because I _did _kill him first."

"_Don't say that. Anakin, if I lost you, my life would be over._"

"I don't doubt that," I sighed internally. "I could say the same if I lost you."

She smiled as she carefully nestled her face into the crook of my neck. "_I'm proud of you._"

"Proud of me? What did I do?"

"_You defeated a Togruta._"

"I could take you down any day."

She giggled. "_That's not what I meant. You took down one of the highest ranking warriors of Shili._"

"And I wasn't told this _before _I fought him because…?"

"_I didn't want to scare you._"

"You forget that I was called _The Hero with No Fear _in the Clone Wars."

She stroked my cheek lightly, smiling at me. My vision was still slightly blurred, but I could see her when she was close to me. "_You're my hero, Ani. You always have been._"

"You're my heroine, Snips."

She chuckled. I heard a door open and she looked away from me to see the visitor. "Obi-Wan!"

I heard him laugh. "Of course. I heard about what happened. How is he?"

"He's in a lot of pain. I told him he's not allowed to move very much or to speak. We're talking through our bond."

"I see," he whispered. He came closer to me and I struggled to raise my hand towards him. It was difficult because I didn't know exactly where he stood. I felt him grip my hand and he came closer to my face. "Rest, little brother. I'm here with Ahsoka." I tried to tell him that I was glad to see him, but the only words that escaped my lips were garbled. I closed my eyes in frustration. I felt him tighten his grip. "It's all right, Anakin. Once we get you some bacta, everything will be back to normal soon. Don't frustrate yourself, okay?"

"Tell him I'm sorry," I whispered into the bond.

"_What are you sorry for?_"

"Not being able to talk to either of you properly."

"_Don't be sorry. Kaeyn did this to you._"

"Is my jaw broken?"

"_No. It's just a little fractured. There's nothing that one night in a bacta tank can't fix._"

"Ugh, that sounds _wonderful. _Floating forever in water."

She laughed, running her hands through my hair. "_It'll wash the blood away, that's for sure._"

"I'm still covered in blood?"

"_Ali went to grab rags. She said she'd be back shortly to –_" The door opened again and Ahsoka looked up. "Ali, where did you find bacta?"

"I always kept some. I secretly had the Republic transporting crates to me just in case something like this should happen."

"I'm sure Ani appreciates that you had some," she laughed. I opened my eyes, staring up at her. She looked down at me, lightly stroking my cheek again. She smiled lovingly at me as she showed her affection.

I lifted my other hand to see it shaking. She grabbed it and held it up to her face. "I love you, Ahsoka," I whispered into the bond.

She closed her eyes, smiling as I slowly moved my fingers across her skin. "_I know you do, Ani. I love you so much. I'm so thankful to have you in my life._"


	11. Troubles

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I laid beside Anakin for the rest of the night, watching his chest rise and fall slowly. He was covered in several pieces of bacta, especially on his chest. There was a piece wrapped around his jaw, entering his mouth. He would be better by morning, hopefully. Obi-Wan stayed in the room, holding Anakin's other hand. He didn't want either of us to leave because he was so vulnerable right now. Obi-Wan was passed out in a chair beside the medical bed.

I could see that Anakin was in another regeneration trance, hoping to speed up the healing process. He hated lying on a bed for a long period of time because it made him feel helpless and useless.

I watched his face, yet another sign of peacefulness within him. I moved one of the pieces of bacta cloth from his chest to see it beginning to heal. I smiled to see what he could do while asleep. I pressed the cloth back down on his wound, leaving it there just in case it still had healing bits left. I laid my head beside his shoulder, lightly kissing his skin. "No… no…" he muttered sleepily. "_Stop…_" I raised my head, staring around the room. His voice was barely audible, but he sounded afraid. His body jerked and his face became pained. "_No!_" he screamed, lurching into a sitting position. He began to breathe heavily, pulling both of his hands to his face. Obi-Wan woke up immediately, standing beside Anakin with a hand on his back.

I tried to pry his hands away, but his grip was too tight. "Anakin! I'm here! It's okay, Ani." He began to whimper slightly, his body shaking. "Ani… Ani, Ani." I pulled him against me, stroking his hair. "I'm here, sweetheart. Talk to me, please." I looked up to see Obi-Wan staring at him in a panicked state. "Anakin, what happened?"

He turned towards me, throwing his arms around me. "Soka…" he whispered, his voice breaking.

I felt shocked, but I wrapped my arms around him as well, my hands lightly rubbing his back. "Anakin, it's me. It's really me, okay? Tell me what happened, sweetheart." His trembling hands stroked my rear lek slowly. I felt his tears seeping onto my lek and skin. I glanced up at Obi-Wan. He nodded and slowly began to leave the room. I pulled back slowly to stare at his face. "Anakin."

"I saw you."

"Me?"

He nodded, his lips beginning to quiver. "Someone had you. I don't know who it was or where you were, but you were gone. You weren't the person you are now. I… I don't understand. You told me that our love meant nothing to you and you looked…" he broke down against me.

"I looked like what, Anakin?"

"Like a _Sith._"

I gasped, pulling him closer. "As long as we're both alive and together, I will _never _become a Sith. I promise you that, Anakin. I'll never do anything to hurt you. Our loves means everything to me."

"That's why this was so frightening. Whatever you were in my dream, I knew it wasn't you. It just felt so _real._"

"It's okay, Anakin. I'm not a Sith and I never will be, okay?" I whispered into his ear.

He nodded, stroking my rear lek again. "I don't want to let something like that separate us, Ahsoka. I love you too much to let you fall to the dark side. I don't even understand why you would turn."

"Nor do I, Ani. I'm just as confused as you are. I'm perfectly content with being a Jedi and being with you." I kissed his hair and he smiled. "I love you, Anakin. Don't worry, okay? I'm not going to become a Sith. _Ever._"

He chuckled, pulling back. "I believe you and you know I'll never let it happen."

"The only dark side you'll see out of me is when we're alone on Coruscant."

I watched his tiny smile become a smirk, his eyes dancing with a new light. He leaned forward, kissing me slowly. I closed my eyes as I wound my arms around his neck, clasping them behind him. He slowly pushed me back onto the bed by crawling on top of me. "You do know that I'm right outside of the room, right?" Obi-Wan whispered from the other side of the door.

Anakin groaned while I laughed. He sighed and plopped down beside me, throwing his arm over my waist. "So come on in, Daddy," he said jokingly.

Obi-Wan groaned as he walked in. "I didn't mean that in a father-like way, Anakin."

"Sure, sure."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Is everything all right now?"

"Yep," we both said. He began to rub small circles on my stomach as he lay there. Obi-Wan took a seat in his chair once again, trying not to watch us. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

Anakin slowly kissed my rear lek, planting light kisses here and there. "I'm sorry for waking up like that," he whispered.

"Don't worry about it, love." He pulled me tighter against him and I rested my hand on his while he continued to rub my stomach. He rested his chin on my shoulder, sighing deeply. "Is something else on your mind?"

"I just want to go back to Coruscant. I miss the kids…"

Obi-Wan raised his head, frowning. "I agree with you there. I'm missing Airi and Satine…"

We both stared at him. Anakin spoke first. "Well, I'm hoping that Ahsoka's father will let us out of here soon. I hate seeing you unhappy, old man."

"I'm not that much older than you, Anakin."

There were several footsteps outside of the room. Immediately, I sprung off of the bed. Anakin struggled to lift himself off and place his feet on the floor. Obi-Wan was standing, ready to fight. I took a defensive position in front of Anakin, knowing that he was still too injured to fend for himself. Again, I immersed myself in the Togruta ways. I growled as the door opened. Had I not heard the voice of warning, I might have leapt towards the intruder. It was my father. "Ahsoka, stand down." Anakin's hands rested on my shoulders, lightly pulling me back towards him. Obi-Wan stood beside me, also feeling defensive. "I am not here to begin another fight with you, my daughter. I wish for you to reconsider everything you've decided. Will you marry one of our warriors and remain on Shili?"

"No," I responded with authority. "How can you not see that I love my husband? I won't leave him even if you beg me to. I love _him _with everything and I'd give everything for him. These _suitors _you've selected for me only care about the power they'll receive once they sit down in your throne beside me."

"That's nowhere near being true! The men I've selected care deeply about you. I've heard it said to me several times. They love you, Ahsoka. The entire kingdom loves you and we absolutely _need _you to lead us. The people you call your family now are going to betray you in the end. Remember, we are at war with Coruscant, thus making us at war with _you._"

"Then so be it."

"Ahsoka Tano!" he yelled, balling his hands into fists. "You will do as I say or I'll –"

Anakin stepped forward. "If you so much as lay a finger on her, I willnot hesitate to _kill_ you," he growled. I could see the war brewing between the two of them – yet another fight over me…

I placed my hand on Anakin's chest, staring into his eyes. He tore his glaring eyes from my father to stare at me with softer, oceanic eyes. His arm wrapped around me protectively and I enjoyed it. I turned to face my father again. "Ahsoka Tano –"

"_Skywalker,_" we both said.

"I will not accept you bearing his last name."

"I chose to marry him and I think it's my decision as to which last name I go by! In this case, I'm _Ahsoka Skywalker._ Now, you're going to have to put up with that or else I'm leaving."

"You can't leave."

"Why not?" He glanced away sadly. "Father?"

"Answer her!" Anakin growled again, growing furious with my father's lack of information.

The door opened behind him and droids – Separatist droids – entered. "Hands up, Jedi."

Anakin wrapped both arms around me, pulling me closer to him. Obi-Wan took a defensive position in front of us both. Seeing as though we were in the medbay, the Force – as Alesk said – would work here. Obi-Wan and I began to push forward with the Force and the droids – along with my father – were pushed through the doorway. I turned, grabbing Anakin's hand. The three of us began running through the halls. I had no idea where I was leading us, but I knew anywhere was better than in there. Ali stopped us in the hall. "Wait!"

I turned as Anakin crashed against me. "Sorry," he whispered, resting his hands on my hips.

Ali ran towards us, holding our lightsabers. "I thought you three might want these back. I recently heard from one of the guards that they were in our throne room beneath the king's chair, so I took it upon myself to take them."

"Thank you, Ali," I whispered appreciatively as she handed me the sabers.

She smiled warmly. "Oh, and Anakin?"

"Yes?" he asked cautiously.

She pulled a key out of a small pocket and held it out towards him. "The key to the collar."

"Oh, we're keeping it on him," I laughed.

He turned slightly, smirking at me. "You would like that and as much as I'd love to please you with it, I kind of need to use the Force so I can help us escape. I promise I'll put it back on once we get to Coruscant if that's what you want."

I laughed as Ali pressed the key into his palm. "Get going, little ones. The guards are coming."

"Thank you, Ali. I'll make it up to you someday," I promised. She smiled, nodding as we began to run once more.

I gave Obi-Wan his lightsaber, but kept mine and Anakin's. "Come on, Snips," Anakin laughed beside me. We rounded a corner to see that we were surrounded by droids. "Ahsoka, give me my lightsaber…" I sighed, handing it to him. He put it between his hands, igniting it. I watched him leap into the air and crash down upon the droids, slicing several in the process.

That was _one _hallway at least.

Obi-Wan took off down another hall, slightly mimicking Anakin's actions. I, however, went straight ahead, taking on my own group of clankers. "Oh, look. It's Skywalker's _pet._"

I gasped as I was lifted from the ground by the Force. "_Vent – ress._"

"And now you _die!_"

As she was about to tighten her fingers, closing them indirectly around my neck, she was thrown backwards. I was caught in strong arms that held me close. I looked up to see Anakin. One of his hands was extended towards Ventress. "Try it again," he taunted.

"Step out of the way, Skywalker. I don't need _you._"

"Why do you want her?" he asked, moving himself in front of me.

"We need her in order to keep our relations with the Togrutas."

She leapt forward, crashing her blood red twin blades down against Anakin's single azure blade. "Get out of here, Ahsoka!" he called back to me.

I spun around after a moment of hesitation. I dashed down towards Obi-Wan, leaping over the droids he was fighting to take them out from behind. I glanced towards the hallway I had been standing in to see a cracked wall, but no sign of my husband or the Sith assassin. The droids kept coming in a never ending onslaught. Obi-Wan gripped my wrist, pulling me away from the mess. "We need to find a ship to get out of here, Ahsoka!"

"We can't leave Anakin behind!"

"Ahsoka, listen to me," he said, gripping my shoulders as we entered a safer zone. "He'll find us, he always –" Anakin crashed through a wall, lightsaber ignited. He fell onto the floor, gasping for breath. "See what I mean?"

I knelt down beside Anakin. "Are you okay?"

"We're in so much trouble right now," he managed to say.


	12. Return of an Old Friend

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Ahsoka helped me up and I immediately began to run – or limp – away from the area. She and Obi-Wan followed me until we reached the throne room once again. I don't know what led me here, but I ran in this direction without thinking. Ahsoka's father was perched upon his throne again, guards surrounding the entire room. I glared up at him as he frowned at me. "You were not meant to survive this trip, human."

"You weren't meant to survive this life," I growled under my breath. I ran towards the throne with my lightsaber ignited. The guards blurred around me and I instantly slashed at them, killing them. I held my lightsaber to his neck, clenching my teeth. "You're working with the Separatists!"

He cowered beneath my blade and I could taste his fear. It was _feeding _me. I could taste and smell the fear. I taunted him, moving my blade closer to him. He cried out though I hadn't even hit him. "I couldn't resist their offer! They said they would help me bring Ahsoka back and kill you!"

"Obviously you had no idea who you were up against. You might have succeeded had you chosen a different assassin to kill me. Ventress is completely unworthy of killing me."

"You will die one way or another," he said, glaring up at me. "My daughter will be the Queen of Shili and you will be burned to a crisp as the Jedi burial states."

I clenched my teeth tighter, shoving my lightsaber through his chest. I hadn't actually meant to do that, but I was tired of him not caring about Ahsoka's happiness. Then again, I could probably say that – in that moment – I hadn't cared about her happiness either. "No!" she screamed.

I spun around to see and feel her dread. I ran back to her, pulling her into my arms. If I had been considerate, I might have asked her how she would feel about the death of her father, but no, I had been ignorant and inconsiderate. I rubbed her back quickly, wrapping one arm around her tightly to hold her rear lek. "I'm so –"

She gripped my shoulders tightly after wrapping her arms around me, clawing viciously – yet unknowingly – into my skin. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you did that," she whispered. I glanced over her shoulder to stare at Obi-Wan sadly. He raised his eyebrow, motioning to her head. I understood that he thought she was slightly off as of lately, but this was _my wife. _He couldn't think she was crazy just because she'd lost both of her parents.

Ventress came into the throne room behind us. "Ahsoka," I whispered, pulling away from her. She held onto me tightly, turning slightly. Obi-Wan spun around, holding his lightsaber out towards the Sith and her droids. "Give us the Togruta and everything will be just as it was before she came into yours lives."

I took control, pushing Ahsoka behind me. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me."

"And me," Obi-Wan announced, stepping back to stand beside me. The droids surrounded us and I immediately lost all sense of hope. I reached my flesh hand backwards, taking Ahsoka's. I knew we weren't going to make it out of here. The least I could do was let her know that I loved her before we died.

She gripped my hand tightly, stepping closer to me. "It was nice fighting beside you both," I whispered.

"Shut up," Obi-Wan muttered. "Do you sense that?"

I closed my eyes, spanning my senses. "But –"

"Suck laser!" A barrage of blasts flew around us, coming nowhere close to our small group. Blasts from the droids, however, came fatally close. I turned, throwing myself onto Ahsoka. Her tiny fingers gripped my waist, holding onto me for dear life.

Obi-Wan hovered above me, resting a hand on my back. After a few moments, the room was completely silent. I lifted my head to see white boots coming closer to me. I pulled back, quickly standing. I ignited my lightsaber again, holding it in front of me defensively. "General Skywalker, General Kenobi," the one greeted. He removed his helmet.

"Cody," Obi-Wan and I said simultaneously. Obi-Wan shook his head. "Cody, how did you get all the way out here?"

"We've been locked up for months, General. We were deployed here on your orders."

"Oh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Cody, you know I would never send you somewhere without meeting you in person. There's been a terrible misunderstanding from both ends. You weren't meant to end up here, but you weren't meant to stay on Coruscant. I never gave you any orders to leave. I was away myself."

He glanced at me as Cody sighed. I deactivated my saber, attaching it to my belt. I wrapped my arm around Ahsoka's shoulder, rubbing her slowly. She leaned against me carefully, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, General. We did nothing that we shouldn't have. We were ordered to kill the locals, but we just couldn't. Have you seen the amount of suffering these people are going through?"

He shook his head. "No, Cody. We've been in here for a while as well. The only ones to step outside were Anakin and Ahsoka. Anakin was forced to duel a Togruta warrior."

Cody smiled at me. "Congratulations, General Skywalker. It's good to see that you're all still alive. Commander Tano, how is your child?"

Ahsoka raised her head quickly, sadness overwhelming her. "How do you know I have a child?"

"The last time I heard from you, you were pregnant with General Skywalker's child. How is he or she?"

I glanced down at her as she stared up at me. "Our daughter is good. We have a son now, too."

"Have you two gotten… _married?_"

"Yes," we both said. I smiled at her as she leaned against me again. I held her against my side tightly, kissing the tip of her montral.

He appeared to sigh in relief though I could tell he attempted to hide it from us. "Any of you seen Rex ol' boy?"

My heart stopped and I felt Ahsoka tense up. "Cody," I said angrily. "Can you and Obi-Wan talk about this later? He's a very… _touchy _subject for us, all right? Especially for Ahsoka…"

"Ah," he whispered, glancing at her apologetically. "Not a problem. Sorry, Commander."

"I'm a General now, Cody."

"Right. My apologies, General… _Skywalker…_" he chuckled slightly when he realized that we were both General Skywalker.

I heard loud footsteps belonging to droids. "Cody, we need to get out of here right now. Ventress is probably calling for help. If we –"

"There's an underground tunnel. We've been hiding under there trying to get a signal out for months. Follow us." Ahsoka gripped my hand and we began running after Cody and his men. The seven of us ducked underneath the throne's platform and began walking down a dark hall. I heard a splashing sound ahead of me and grew worried. Ahsoka latched onto me, not wanting to let go. "Don't ignite your lightsabers," he whispered.

"Why?"

"You never know who's under here."

"Fantastic," Ahsoka sighed. I gripped Obi-Wan's shoulder while I continued to hold onto Ahsoka. I reached down to my belt with my other hand, opening a compartment. I grabbed the key to the collar and held it tightly in my palm. I tried to probe Cody's mind without him realizing, but instantly regretted my decision. I cried out in pain as bolts of electricity flowed through my body. I dropped to my knees in the water. I stopped my probing attempt, gasping. "What were you doing?" she whispered, splashing the water beside me.

"Nothing," I muttered. "Get this thing off of me. I can't find the lock," I whispered, trying to feel for it. She took my hand, taking the key into her own. I felt her cool fingers trace my neck for a moment, her soft lips pecking my cheek quickly. I heard a click and the collar fell into the water beside me.

I reached for it, knowing that she might seriously want it later. I heard her chuckle as she pulled me up. "Leave it, Anakin. I'll find better ways of torturing you."

"I like the sound of that."

Another chuckle came out of her as she held my hand again. The constant splashes began to echo through the tunnel. "All right, you can turn your sabers on. We're far enough away and I don't hear anything," Cody whispered.

I pulled my hilt from my belt, igniting the azure blade at the same time Obi-Wan and Ahsoka activated their own. Ahsoka turned towards me, handing me her lightsaber. I took it cautiously, curious to see what she was going to do. Once I held her lightsaber, she began to ring out of my clothes in an attempt to somewhat dry me. "Soka, don't worry about that right now," I whispered. She raised her left eye markings at me as she ran her hands down my waist. I rolled my eyes as I realized she was trying to play with me while we were in this tunnel with Obi-Wan and the clones. "Once we get onto a ship, I'm all yours, sweetheart. Right now isn't the time for this. I don't think Obi-Wan would appreciate us doing _that _in front of him."

She giggled. "Promise that you're mine on the ship."

"I promise I'm yours forever once we're on that ship."

She nodded, smiling. I handed her her lightsaber, which she took quickly. Her free hand held mine and we continued to walk down the hall, attempting to catch up with the others. "I love you, Anakin," she whispered, tightening her grip on my hand.

"As I love you, my dear."

She moved closer to me as we walked. "I can't wait until we leave Shili. I'm so tired of the death and devastation. I'm glad he's dead. I didn't want him to hurt you…"

"I killed him because I didn't want him to hurt _you._"

I glanced down to see her smiling wider. "The things we do to protect each other."

"You become a menacing woman for me while I kill your father for you," I chuckled. I thought for a moment. "I think I like the menacing and overprotective side of you a lot. It's a turn on," I smirked. She laughed, smacking my arm with the hilt of her saber. "I mean it."

"I don't want anything to happen to you, sweetheart."

I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. "Have I ever told you how glad I am to have married you?"

"You've told me a few times in the past."

"Well," I paused. "I'm _more_, _way more_ than glad that I chose to marry you. You're the most amazing woman in the galaxy, Ahsoka. I'd never trade you for anyone."

She chuckled. "Thank you, Ani. Same goes for you, my beautiful man." I laughed, nudging her side. We finally caught up to Obi-Wan and the clones. We had finally gotten out of the watery area and had now entered a more mountain-like zone.

"All right," Cody announced, turning around to face us. "We're going to continue heading north. It does lead to a dead end, but luckily we swiped a few explosives from the locals. They'll know we're here after we blow the wall, so we'll have to move quickly from that point. General Skywalker?"

"Yes?" Ahsoka and I both answered.

He chuckled. "All right, you two. I guess I'll just call you both the singular General Skywalker. You're both going to do exactly what you did through the waterway. Can you two watch our backs just in case anyone should discover that we've come down here?"

We both nodded. "Not a problem for us," Ahsoka responded.

I glanced backwards, holding my lightsaber out a bit. "Looks clear for the moment. Let's get a move on."

Cody and Obi-Wan led the group, the three other clones in the middle, and Ahsoka and I took up the rear. We were more on our guard than anything else, but she wouldn't let go of my hand, which I deeply appreciated.


	13. Dead Ends

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

"How long have we been in here?"

"I don't know," Anakin muttered, growing frustrated. We were a bit of a distance behind the rest of the group, but we at least had a few troopers a few meters in front of us.

"Do you want to stop?"

"Do you?" he snapped.

I stopped, crossing my arms over my chest. He sighed, dramatically turning towards me. He rolled his eyes at me, walking towards me. He deactivated his lightsaber, clipping it to his belt. "Why are you being so snippy, Ani?"

"I'm aggravated if you couldn't tell. I want to get out of here _now._ I'm sick and tired of walking endlessly through this tunnel."

"I understand. Don't you think I'm a little upset in here? I have to walk beside my cranky husband. It's like you're the wo –"

"Don't even finish that sentence," he snapped. "I am _not _acting like a woman." I chuckled, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my side. "I am sorry for being cranky. I just hate being in here without being able to kiss you."

"I'm always with you. You could kiss me anytime you like." He raised his eyebrow, smirking. His hand gently went behind my rear lek, pulling my face closer to his. I closed my eyes as our lips touched and began to move slowly. I heard him moan and grabbed his other hand, holding it tightly.

"Generals, are you coming?"

We separated quickly to see a couple of the clones staring at us. My lekku immediately flashed a darker shade of blue and Anakin chuckled. "Yeah, we're coming."

He wrapped his arm around me, holding his lightsaber in his other hand. We walked through the semidarkness until one of the clones groaned. "It appears as though we've lost General Kenobi and Commander Cody…"

I glanced up at Anakin to see a ton of doubt laced into his expression. I held my hand to the hilt of my lightsaber just in case. "What was that?"

The clones turned around to face us. "What was what, sir?"

Anakin turned slightly, looking back at the way we'd just come. "I don't think we're alone. Soka, stay here."

I watched as he leapt into the air, disappearing into the darkness above us. I sighed, turning to face the clones. "He's probably going to go scout out the area," I whispered.

Within minutes, blasts were heard. I ignited my lightsaber, holding it in my backwards position. I swung in front of myself, attempting to deflect each and every shot. Commando droids kept appearing and I grew worried.

Ani was gone too long. I heard the buzzing of another lightsaber as it swung down through one droid and slashed through another. "Good to see you again, love," I smirked.

He backed up cautiously, moving to protect me. "Oh, it's far worse now," he muttered. Two droids were bouncing from wall to wall with ray shields over their midsections. They landed several meters away and Anakin continued to back up towards me. "Do you know if we have anything to blow up the wall?" he asked quickly, turning his head to glance over his shoulder.

He held his azure lightsaber out in front of him and I held my emerald one behind me. The droids pulled their blasters out and began to blast us behind their shields. We began to deflect their shots. "I don't know!"

He groaned. "Could you go figure it out?" I rolled my eyes, deactivating my lightsaber, hooking it to my belt. "We kind of need to get out of here somehow. Their shields are –"

I sifted through one of the men's packs. "Got some detonators," I announced, looking up at him.

"What are you waiting for then?" he called back, struggling with the deflections now. I pulled the detonators from the pack and backed up. There was a small indent into the darkness, possibly a really tiny enclave.

I dashed into the area, activating the detonators as I placed them along the wall quickly. I spun around to see more droids coming up on Anakin. He was beginning to have some difficulty. Even the blasters of the clones weren't able to help very much. I had one detonator left. "Ani, down!" I yelled.

"What? Why?" He glanced down at the ground as I rolled a detonator. "Ahsoka!" he groaned. "Clear out now!" He and the clones dashed in different directions to avoid the blast as it went off. The droids had been completely decimated and now there was a light mist floating through the air. I walked towards Anakin as he was pushing himself off of the ground, grunting every now and then. The three clones were standing beside him now. He glanced at them. "Where's Ahsoka?" I walked around him, staring up at him for a brief moment. I stopped in front of him, crossing my arms. "What?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, nothing."

He groaned, frowning deeply. "I'm sorry again," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and stepped towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I leaned against his warm chest, listening to his heart beat. "I love you anyway, Anakin."

I felt his chest move as he chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. You have no idea how hard it would be to apologize if you didn't love me."

I rubbed his back, feeling one of the scars through the fabric of his vest. "Okay, I blew out the wall. Let's see where it goes. I'm sure my father's guards have heard it by now though."

We separated and nodded, running towards the area that had been blown out. The clones followed behind us, blasters at the ready. I glanced up at my husband to see his determined, _General Skywalker_ face. I missed the days when he'd actually lead us into what seemed like a horrifying battle and we'd emerge victorious and almost unscathed.

We trailed along a series of large pipes that must have held some importance to my father. I watched Anakin's gaze move towards the pipes. "No one do anything. Turn the blasters off or we'll be vaporized."

The men behind us locked their blasters as we continued down the dark path, but at least it was sort of lit now. "What are they?" I asked him.

"Highly volatile gas chambers," he responded. "Seeing as though they're connected, one blast to their metal casing could activate a massive explosion, killing us all before we would even realize it."

I stopped and stared at him. "And why are you so calm about that?"

"Because I know none of us are going to attempt to blast the metal casing."

I groaned, running to catch up with him. "You're insane to put such a massive amount of trust into these men. For all we know, they could have planned to separate us and kill us," I whispered.

"If they wanted to do that, they would have let the droids kill us," he muttered.

After about ten minutes of walking, I grew just as frustrated as Anakin. The silence was beginning to get to me. "Anakin."

"Yes?" he responded almost immediately. It was like he had been waiting for me to say something all this time. I inched closer to him, grasping his hand.

"Can you just say something to fill the silence?"

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, glancing down at me, raising his eyebrow. "This tunnel is wonderful and I'm glad to be down here?" I sighed and he rubbed my hand with his thumb. "What do you think the kids are doing?"

I glanced up at him sadly. "I don't know. I hope they're not tormenting Satine…"

I saw his eyes become dull and his lip tremble for a moment. I could feel a spark of sadness and fear erupt from him, but he contained it quickly. "I'm more worried about how… _abandoned _they might feel. Cayden wouldn't understand, of course, but what about Shmi and Kaimi?"

I heard his voice break and I knew he was having a hard time dealing with this. He was extremely attached and connected to the three little ones, even Airi for that matter. "Satine must have told them that we didn't leave them intentionally."

"Shmi will think that we did. She…" he trailed off, closing his eyes.

"She what?" I pressed.

He sighed, shaking his head in frustration and sadness. "When I stayed with her and Padme while you were pregnant with Kaimi, she accused me of abandoning her for those five years. She said that I was a terrible father. She said that I should leave. Ever since that day, I've felt like I had to do everything and anything to make them happy. I _have _to –"

I moved to stand in front of him, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "You aren't a terrible father, Ani. You see how happy you make them, don't you? You don't _have _to do anything to make them happy. They just want you around and that's exactly what you're doing. Honestly, you're a better parent than me."

"Don't say that, Soka," he whispered, putting his hands on either side of my face. "You're a wonderful mother. You've just been through a lot in the last few years. You were sixteen and pregnant, seventeen and married, and then you were pregnant again with all that stress…"

"_Our _babies and _our _marriage mean everything to me. I don't regret any of it. When you made love to me, it felt magical. When I found out I was pregnant, I was afraid. I should have known that you wouldn't leave me and you didn't. Well, you didn't leave me willingly…" I trailed off, remembering that he had been sent away. "And as for Cayden, he is alive and well. Don't ever say that the things we've done put me in a bad situation. I'd do it all over again if I had to."

He smiled weakly at me. "I found myself wishing that I had been safer before, to keep you from getting pregnant, but now I see that I would do everything all over again as well. I just feel like I've taken a lot of opportunities away from you because of these things."

"I kept you from turning to the dark side."

"That's true," he chuckled. "And for the record, the children and our marriage mean everything to me, too. I wouldn't change it." He leaned forward and kissed me passionately. "I love you."

I smiled as he took my hand and we continued to walk through the tunnels. "I'll love you until the end of time, Anakin." He smiled, beginning to hum his song. "When we get back to Coruscant, can you sing that for me?" I asked, staring up at his handsome, but tired, face.

"Really?"

"I love your voice. When I heard you sing to Cayden, I thought it was beautiful."

He shrugged. "I guess my voice is okay. If you want me to sing for you, then I guess I can do that."

I smacked his side, laughing. "Oh, Ani."

I glanced up to see his smile return and I felt so happy for it. We stopped at another dead end. "Do we – what the?"

"Ani?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

He spun around to glance around the cavern. I watched his eyes dart from side to side. The clones grew nervous and wary of his actions and I knew what they were thinking. I just hoped no one said anything to Anakin… He stared at the ground for a moment before looking at me. "Do we have anymore detonators?"

I walked over to the clone holding the weapons pack. I sifted through the utilities until I found a few wall detonators. I held them up, showing him. "We've got these."

"How many?"

I quickly counted the ones we had. "Six."

"Use two. We don't know if we'll need more. We just need to make sure none of the rock formations blast into the gas chambers. I need you to help me contain the debris."

I nodded, running towards the wall and began placing the two detonators on the wall. I set the charge and ran back to Anakin. We both held our hands up, ready to stop the rainfall of rock that was about to burst upon us.

A large crash echoed through the cavern and we immediately began to control the flying debris. Nothing escaped us and so nothing hit the gas chambers. I sighed in relief as he playfully smacked my arm. "Good job, Snips."

"I should just call _you _Snips from now on," I smirked.

"It wouldn't be the same if you did," he laughed, running ahead. I rolled my eyes, motioning for the three clones to follow us. We ran after Anakin, hoping that we might find Obi-Wan or an exit.


	14. Partial Freedom

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My chest was burning. The fumes from the gas chambers were finally getting to me. I coughed, covering my mouth and nose. Ahsoka touched my arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I gasped, coughing again. "I'm all right." I glanced back at the clones. They seemed to have an easier time since they had breathers within their helmets. Shaking my head, I turned back towards Ahsoka. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm good," she smiled.

"General," one of the clones spoke up. "Would you like to use my helmet for a while? I've resisted the fumes thus far. I don't mind giving it to you."

I smiled, almost thanking him until another clone spoke up. "Why would you offer to save him? He's disobeyed everything he stood for."

I slowly turned, glaring harshly at him. "That's your call, trooper. I put the lives of my men _before _myself."

"What about your women?" the arrogant clone said.

"I only have one _woman_. What's your name anyway, trooper?"

"Barlex."

"All right, Barlex," I began. "For the time being, you are _my _trooper. I don't know why you have such a problem with me. It's not because of Ahsoka, so whatever grudge you're holding against me, get it off of your chest _now._"

"You are the worst Jedi I've ever met."

I stepped forward, keeping the glare in place. Ahsoka's hand on my chest stopped me from moving further. I realized that my hand was actually gripping the hilt of my lightsaber. "Go on."

"You always spoke about remaining loyal to the Republic, to the Jedi. You threw the code out the window when you destroyed Ahsoka and Rex. You weren't even meant to survive this long, General. I don't apologize for being blunt. Chancellor Palpatine was meant to kill you years ago." I growled as he mentioned Palpatine's name. The scars on my back burned at the memory. "It's a pity he didn't kill you," he muttered. "Rex might actually have survived…"

I shoved Ahsoka away from me and jumped towards Barlex. I slammed him backwards with a single blow to the chest. My mechanical fingers wound around his neck as I breathed heavily. "Do _not _blame me for his death. He was a good man."

"Ani, please, stop…" Ahsoka pleaded, trying to pry me off of Barlex. He was gagging, trying to breathe. I pulled back, releasing him. I stood up, clutching Ahsoka. I held her close to me as I walked away. "Take a minute to breathe. I can tell that you aren't feeling well." I threw my back against a rock formation behind me, falling down. She knelt down, crawling between my legs. She leaned her head onto my chest. "I love you. I hate seeing you so upset…"

I wrapped my arms around her. "Ugh…" I moved one hand up to stroke the side of her lek. "I love you, Soka. I'm sorry for acting this way. You're right, I don't feel too great. I don't know where we're going and I'm probably going to get us all killed…"

"Generals!" one of the clones yelled – the kind one. "There seems to be an exit this way!"

Ahsoka jumped up, pulling me along with her. We jogged down to the clone and glanced up. There was a ladder hanging down from the top of the cavern, a hatch at the top. "Ani, can you lift me up?"

I smirked. "Of course," I laughed. I put my hands on either side of her, gently lifting her up. Luckily, I'd grown weaker _emotionally _and not _physically._ She grabbed the ladder and began to pull herself up. "Nice view," I whispered into our bond, smirking.

"_Shut up._"

I laughed as she crawled up the rungs. She spun the wheel on the hatch, opening it. It clicked loudly, echoing around us. "Nice going," I muttered.

"I can still hear you from up here," she whispered.

"Well, get a move on, beautiful," I chuckled.

"Typical –"

I turned around to face Barlex. "Would you like to go again?"

"_Stop. I know he's being arrogant, but he's trying to aggravate you._"

I sighed, washing my anger away. I glanced up at Ahsoka to see her staring down at me. "I love you," I whispered into her thoughts. "_So_ much…"

"_I love you, too, dear._"

She pushed up on the hatch, climbing up a few more rungs to peer outside. "_Everything looks –_"

"Ahsoka?" I called up to her. "What's wrong?"

Before I could do anything, she jumped out. I heard her lightsaber buzzing as she swung. I threw myself up onto the ladder, climbing the rungs quickly. I ignited my saber and helped her destroy the few droids that were patrolling the larger pipes out here. Once they were disabled, I stroked her cheek.

She was holding her arm tightly. "Let me see it."

"It's nothing," she muttered. "Just a little shot…"

I moved her hand away. It looked bad… I ripped some of the leather off of my outfit, wrapping it around her arm. She stared into my eyes, smiling. "I… I guess it'll work for the time being, Soka."

I heard voices and turned. Several hundreds of droids were heading directly at us, their blasters raised. "You know, every time I go somewhere with you, we're always getting shot at."

I smirked. "You know you love it." We ignited our sabers quickly, deflecting blasts as they came at us. "Get up here!" I called down to the clones. They began climbing the rungs and kneeling beside us. The three of them slid down the edge of the platform, leaving Ahsoka and me up here. "Go, Ahsoka!" I shouted.

"But –" She sighed at the look I gave her and deactivated her lightsaber quickly, sliding down as well. I did a back flip landing beside her. We began running side by side until we reached the clones. We were now a small distance away from the droids behind us.

I felt a disturbance in the Force and, judging by Ahsoka's actions, she did, too. I reached my hand out for her and she gladly took it. We jumped off of an overhang, landing gracefully. I turned around and began to levitate the clones onto the ground, landing them just as nicely. Well, the two of them anyway. I was tempted to leave Barlex up there, but I knew Ahsoka wouldn't allow that… "Soka, can you lead the way? Just run wherever you think is the safest."

She rolled her eyes at me before nodding. "Sure thing, sweetheart." She dashed ahead of the group, leading the way. I held up the end, making sure nothing would come after us. Once I was sure that we were safe for the moment, I ran off after Ahsoka and the men. I heard a bunch of yelling and stopped, glancing in the direction. My heart stopped when I saw the wire gates and the enslaved Togrutas behind them. Though I hadn't been a slave for nearly twenty years, I couldn't bear to watch others suffer like that. I felt Ahsoka's eyes on me and I heard her light footsteps come closer. "Anakin…" I couldn't pry my eyes away from the scene before me. Many of the Togruta females were standing in the center of the area receiving lashings. I cringed each time a whip made contact with their back. "Ani, we can't go back in there. I know how much it hurts you, and it hurts me as well, but there's nothing we can do. We need to escape before it's too late."

She grabbed my hand, but I couldn't respond to her touch. "I can't," I whispered. I closed my eyes as I heard more screams from the gates. "After everything, I can't allow this." I turned to face her, putting my hands on either side of her face. "Soka, I need you to lead them out. Take them to another opening and hopefully you'll meet up with Obi-Wan."

"Do you really expect me to leave you?"

"The same comes from us, Generals," the clone announced, loading his blaster. "We won't leave you."

I smiled weakly. "Good men." I kissed Ahsoka quickly, but passionately. "I love you."

"I know you do," she smiled. "Now, come on. Let's get going." We began running down towards the gates. I pulled out my lightsaber, activating it quickly. I slashed directly through the gates, creating an opening for everyone. Blasts came at us immediately. Ahsoka and I deflected them while in motion. The clones stayed as close to us as they possibly could. "Free them," Ahsoka told me. "I'll handle the droids."

I nodded, darting past her. The clones were now firing on the droids. I reached a few of the female Togrutas. They cowered away from me. I held my hands up. "I'm here to help you." I stepped closer, slicing through the bonds on each of the willing Togrutas. Others ran away from me in fear. Turning, I saw Ahsoka on the ground. Barlex and another clone were standing above her, defending her. She was clutching her waist as the clone – the one who offered his helmet to me – was trying to relax her. "There's an opening in the gate," I said to the Togrutas. "Run through there and you're free." I didn't stick around to watch them safely escape. I had done my part in freeing them, now they had to take the initiative and get out. I collapsed beside Ahsoka, holding her close to me. "What happened to her?"

"She was blasted from the side. It's nothing fatal, Sir."

I moved her hand to see a bit of steam coming from her side. It looked painful beyond belief though. "You're okay," I whispered to her. "You're okay."

I heard another buzzing noise and twisted to look behind me. "Ah, what a coincidence."

"It's about time you got here," I sighed in relief.

Obi-Wan knelt down beside me. "Is she all right?"

"She's in a lot of pain at the moment, but he said it wasn't fatal."

"Good man, Spinoff," Obi-Wan said, smiling at the clone. "And as usual, you had to do things the hard way, Anakin. Why didn't you keep running?"

I glared at him. "You know why." He sighed, glancing around. Cody and the three clones were now defending us, blasting droids continuously. The one who hadn't spoken much fell. "Soka, do you think you can get up?" She breathed heavily, clutching my hand tightly. I saw a brief nod and I slowly helped her up. "If you need me –"

She promptly ran off, jumping into the air to freefall into the middle of the droids. She sliced several of them without even being blasted at. Obi-Wan stared at her in shock. "I see she's feeling better."

"That's my girl," I smirked. "She's too strong for her own good." Once the droids were finished, she walked – limped – back over to me. I stared at her in concern as she wobbled a bit. I reached out just in time for her to collapse into my arms. "She needs medical attention," I said quickly.

I sat down, holding her against me. Her eyes were closed as she breathed. She was breathing as if she was about to have a child. Spinoff knelt down, opening up the pack that Ahsoka had pulled detonators out of. He began to place a piece of bacta cloth on her side, sealing it to her clothes with a few straps. "She'll be just fine in a few minutes."

"We may not have a few minutes," Obi-Wan said, looking up. I looked with him to see a bunch of droids appearing.

I sighed, rubbing Ahsoka's right lek. "Go figure."

"We're always in trouble with you around."

"Shuttle."

"What?"

"I said shuttle!" I said, rolling my eyes. I pointed towards a shuttle.

Obi-Wan's comlink began to beep. He quickly answered it. "Kenobi here."

"_Obi-Wan, what is your location?_"

I watched Obi-Wan stare at the com. "Master Plo, how good it is to hear you. We're on Shili. We've just managed to find a shuttle. We're heading towards it now."

"_So we can expect your arrival shortly then?_"

"Of course."

I glanced down as Ahsoka began to move in my arms. She opened her eyes slowly, reaching up to stroke my cheek. "Ani…"

"You're fine, Ahsoka. There's bacta on you. Just relax, okay? We've found a shuttle."

I lifted her into my arms as Obi-Wan shut off the com. "All right, Cody, cover the rear." The three clones ran ahead of Obi-Wan and me. Ahsoka groaned in my arms and I immediately stopped in my tracks, checking her. Obi-Wan stopped as well to make sure she was all right. I glanced up to see the ship – and the clones – explode. The explosion bounced the platform around and we fell to the ground. Obi-Wan lifted his head to sigh. "Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."


	15. Rescue

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I pushed myself up into a standing position. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan stood slowly, Soka standing behind me. I glanced up as STAPs flew overhead. "Wonderful," I muttered. I glanced sideways at Ahsoka, pulling my lightsaber into my hand as she did the same. We ignited our sabers. I held mine forward and she held hers backwards. After the first few times I'd watched her fight that way, I'd attempted to teach her my way, but she just wouldn't have it.

_My overconfident, little Padawan…_

As I glanced at her again, I realized that she wasn't my little Padawan. She was my beautiful Knight and wife… and I wanted to kiss her so badly right now. The STAPs turned and began to head directly for us. Obi-Wan's blade came up beside me as we stood in a formation to hold a line. Cody and the two clones stood behind us, shooting the battle droids.

I leapt into the air as one of the STAPs came closer. I sliced the battle droid that was flying it and swung around, taking its place. I flew up and around, blasting the droids that were heading towards my companions. "_Ani!_"

I glanced down at Ahsoka to see her under attack by several droids. She was struggling because of her injury. I flew in another circle, heading directly for her. "Jump now!" I commanded.

She looked up, jumping just in time. I grabbed her and pulled her behind me. Her arms wrapped tightly around my waist as she barely stood on the STAP. "Of all the crazy things we've done, I believe this is the craziest."

I turned my head to smile at her over my shoulder. "You love the thrill."

She leaned forward, kissing me quickly before resting her chin on my shoulder. "I couldn't live without it. I couldn't live without _you._"

"How's your side?"

"Hurts like Mustafar…" she whispered. I flew around to begin blasting the droids once again. I almost hit Obi-Wan and so he let me know he was upset. I chuckled as I flew overhead, saluting him with two fingers. "You're so mean to him."

"I've got to have fun even in a time like –"

"Ani, watch out!"

Just as she said that, we were blasted. I grabbed her as we fell. I slammed down onto the cement, landing on my back with her on my chest. I gasped as I felt myself not able to breathe. "Ani, I'm so sorry. I'm so –"

I pressed my fingers against her lips, closing my eyes for a moment. I slowly calmed my body until I felt like I could breathe again. "I'm – okay."

She got off of me and pulled me up. Obi-Wan ran up to us. "You always seem to have trouble when it comes to flying."

"Oh, Force," I sighed, glancing up. "Fall back!" I called out.

The three of us and the clones began to retreat. The droids were coming in overwhelming forces that three Jedi probably couldn't take out, especially since one was injured. I glanced sideways at her to see her hand held against her side. Obi-Wan pulled out his comlink once again, contacting Master Plo. Once his hologram appeared, he spoke. "_Master Kenobi, what has happened?_"

"I'm afraid we've had a situation with the shutt – "

I activated my comlink. "By situation, he means _big explosion._ We're going to need a rescue."

He sighed before nodding. "_We're on our way, Master Skywalker._"

A part of me felt excited because I had finally been called _Master _Skywalker. Well, I'd been called that before, but this time, it held meaning. We deactivated the coms, continuing to run. And stupidly enough, I led us right into a ditch. The ground collapsed and we fell several meters beneath the surface. I heard Ahsoka cry out in agony and I quickly crawled towards her, ignoring my own pain.

I threw my arm out, planting it beside her. I hovered above her, inspecting her quickly. "Tell me what hurts, Soka. I'm right here." She stared up at me, tears blurring her vision. I stroked the side of her face. "Sweetheart, talk to me. I want to help you, but I don't know what hurts." She rolled over onto her side and I saw the problem. I tried to hold back my own tears as I saw the damage done to her rear lek and back. She had landed on a rougher piece of ground. Her back was scratched up, deep cuts running up it. Her lek had the same damage done to it, but that was the worst part of it all. Her lekku are extremely sensitive. I gently pulled her into my arms, caressing the lek. She cried against my chest, gripping my vest. I rocked her back and forth slowly. "It's going to be okay. Plo is going to find us, Ahsoka. As soon as we get out of here, you're going in the bacta."

She nodded slowly, closing her eyes. I heard droids running overhead. Somehow, none of them fell into the ditch. I scooted out of the light, keeping Ahsoka in the darkness with me. Obi-Wan was sitting beside me, staring at her with a deep amount of concern. Cody and the clones sat opposite of us. Barlex stared at us in disgust and I swore that I heard him mutter, "Just let her die."

Apparently I'd been right because Obi-Wan quickly pressed me back. "Don't do anything stupid, Anakin. We need them if we're going to get out of here."

Ahsoka's breathing became a little labored. "Soka, are you okay?"

"The amount of pain and shock could be what's causing that, Anakin."

I bit my lip as I stared down at her. I knew that there had been nothing she could do about the pain I'd suffered in the past, but this was something I should be able to have control over. Her hand rose, touching my cheek. "_I don't blame you for this. It's not your fault, my love._"

I bowed my head, kissing her forehead. "I blame myself," I whispered back to her.

"_Stop it. I don't want you to suffer. I'm fine. You said that I'll be in the bacta once Plo saves us. That's what I'll think about to keep me going, Ani._"

I shook my head. "I don't want to see you hurt. It _kills _me inside. You're the most important person in my life and I don't want to see you this way."

"_Pain happens, one way or another. We've both suffered emotional and physical pain._" I pulled her closer to me, being mindful of the lek and her back. I closed my eyes, touching my forehead against hers.

**Several hours later.**

I was beginning to black out. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were asleep. The clones were exhausted and grumpy. My vision was dimming as I began to dehydrate more and more with each passing moment.

I was lying beside Ahsoka, my arm draped across her body. Her hand was resting on her stomach beneath mine. I stared at the side of her face, listening to her breaths. My eyes began to roll back into my head, my mouth falling open slightly. I sighed. A large gust of wind blew down on us. I heard an engine roaring above us. Obi-Wan snapped to attention while Ahsoka and I laid still. "It's Master Plo!" he announced, standing up.

A clone transport began to drift into the ditch. The side door opened and Master Plo stepped off along with several other Jedi.

I closed my eyes, listening to the hushed voices around me. I held Ahsoka tightly. "I'm not letting you go," I whispered into our bond.

"Anakin," Master Plo's distant voice called to me. "It's me. We're taking you and Ahsoka back up to our cruiser. You're both going to be all right."

I nodded slowly, feeling Ahsoka drift away from me as I began to drift out of consciousness. "Soka…" I whispered, reaching out into the nothingness.

I felt a little pressure on my body as well as some shaking. And then there was a bright light. "_Ani!_"

**Later.**

A bright light shined into my eyes. I groaned, slowly opening them to blink several times. I glanced around to see myself in a cruiser medbay. I threw my arm out to the left in an attempt to feel for Ahsoka. I gasped when she wasn't there. "Ahsoka!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's soothing voice said, coming closer to me. He just stepped through the door and rushed over to me. "It's all right. Ahsoka's all right. She's safe and in the healing process. Just relax, little brother."

"Where… where is she?"

"She's in the bacta right now."

I sighed, closing my eyes as I lay back onto the medical pillows. "Okay…"

"Anakin, there's someone here to see you."

The door swished again and tiny footsteps ran. "Daddy! Daddy!"

I opened my eyes and glanced over the edge of the medical bed to see Kaimi and Shmi. Plo walked in behind them. "They begged me to bring them along. They missed their parents."

I smiled weakly, sitting up a bit. Obi-Wan lifted them onto the bed beside me. Shmi attacked me, wrapping her thin arms around my neck. Kaimi jumped onto my chest. I wrapped my arms around both of them. "Hey, kids."

I glanced up at Plo. "How are you feeling, Anakin?"

"I'm okay. I'm more concerned for Soka. Can I see her?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I know how much you want to see her, but she won't be able to respond. She's unconscious in healing. Just relax and spend time with your daughters."

Kaimi smiled at me expectantly. "Daddy, can we go play?"

I groaned, falling backwards again. "I'm tired, baby girl."

"But, Daddy!"

"Kaimi, your father will play with you soon. Didn't Aunt Satine play with you enough while we were gone?"

I chuckled, smiling at him. I mouthed a thank you to him and he nodded before walking out. Kaimi sighed and lay down beside me. She cuddled up against me and I wrapped my arm around her. I ran my gloved fingers through her hair. "I promise I'll play with you when I'm feeling a bit better, okay?"

She nodded, closing her eyes. I glanced at Shmi to see a younger, female version of me. I grabbed her hand. "You okay, baby girl?"

"Daddy…"

I stared at her, sensing her unhappiness. "What's wrong?"

"Mommy's with someone else."

"Padme or Ahsoka?"

"Padme."

"That's okay," I responded, smiling a little. Once I realized that she was still unhappy, I decided to press the situation. "Does that make you sad?"

"I don't want her to be with anyone else. What if she has another baby and its Daddy leaves her?" My heart broke a little at her words. "I don't mean you, Daddy. You came back and you're taking care of me. Mommy said you'd never come back. What if he leaves though?"

"That's… that's his loss then. Shmi, do you understand the whole situation with your mother and me?" She shook her head and I sighed deeply. "_She _left _me._ I didn't know she was going to have you because she kept you a secret. If I had known that you were coming, I wouldn't have left. You're my daughter and I love you just as much as I love Kaimi and Cayden."

"Does Ahsoka get mad if I call her Mommy?"

I smiled at her. "Of course she doesn't. Ahsoka loves you, too."

She smiled, cuddling up on my other side. "I love Ahsoka."

I closed my eyes, running my fingers through her hair. "She loves you, too."

A brief flash spread across my vision. "_It's almost too late._" _Anima was back._ I couldn't open my eyes to see reality. I was back inside the darkness. I spun around and didn't see Anima. A shadowed figure jumped towards me and I stared in horror once I saw who it was…


	16. Beginning the Journey Back to Coruscant

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I stared at the bacta tank in front of me. Ahsoka was in a maroon jumpsuit while floating in that liquid. Her lek was almost healed from the outside, but I wondered how much damage had really been caused. Her back was healing, leaving one or two nice scars for her. I've been drifting in and out of sleep for the last few hours. I wanted to be here with her because I'd lose my mind. I needed to see her all right. Yes, Obi-Wan had informed me of her well being several hours ago, but I needed to physically see it to believe it. I got up from my chair, stretching my stiff muscles. I walked to the bacta and pressed my hand against the thin glass. "I'm so sorry, Soka…"

"Anakin." I turned to see Plo enter the room. "She's almost ready to come out of there, Skywalker." My hand began to shake against the glass. I bowed my head for a moment before glancing back at her. "Go get some sleep. You look like you need it. I will wake you as soon as she's conscious."

"No," I whispered. "I want to be here when she wakes up."

"Anakin, you've been up for six hours. You look horrible."

I growled. "She's _my wife!_ I will not leave her. I don't care how horrible I feel. _This _is _my _fault!"

My stomach churned as he stepped closer to me. His mask began to intimidate me. "Anakin, please, see reason. Ahsoka wouldn't want you to harm yourself like this. She loves you as much as you love her. Both of you can't live without the other and I'm glad to hear that. I don't think she could have chosen a better man to fall in love with…" I sighed as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "You're exhausted. You can't stay in here forever. She'll be awake soon, but you need to rest or you'll be unconscious while she's walking around."

I groaned as my stomach growled loudly. "I can't leave her."

"If you don't, I will inject a sedative into you, Anakin."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Would you really?"

"If it helped you get some sleep, then yes I certainly would. I don't want anything to happen to my little girl's husband…"

I cracked a smile before rubbing my eyes. "Thank you, Master Plo. You'll come get me right when she wakes up?"

"Yes. Go get some sleep." I nodded, sleepily walking out of the room. I dragged my feet on the way back to the other medbay I'd been in. I left the girls there so I could sneak out to have some alone time.

My head started pounding, so I stopped and placed a hand against the wall for support. A wave of vertigo washed over me and I almost fell down. Obi-Wan caught me. "Anakin, what happened?"

I breathed in slowly, my hands shaking. "I – I don't know." A sudden chill sent shivers up my spine. He saw that as well.

"You're freezing." I felt fine until I got into the hallway and walked away from the room Ahsoka had been in. I glanced at Obi-Wan as he helped me get back to the medbay. "Anakin, how are you so cold?"

I shrugged, my teeth beginning to chatter. "I – I d-d-don't know…"

He let me go so I could climb onto the medical bed in between my daughters. I closed my eyes, trying to get myself to go to sleep quickly. I felt Obi-Wan's eyes on me, but I didn't acknowledge him now. "Get some rest, little one."

I smirked. "Night, old man."

"Oh, so now you speak."

"We'll talk later," I whispered, turning onto my side. The door hissed to open and hissed to a close.

I lay there, running my fingers through Kaimi's hair. I opened my eyes to look down at a miniature version of Ahsoka. I couldn't help the tears that fell when I looked at her. I had such a _bad _feeling that something was going to happen to my family… Small arms rested on my side. "Why are you crying, Daddy?" Shmi's small voice whispered. I jumped and lifted my head to look at her. I wiped my eyes quickly, laughing quietly to hide it. She gave me a look that said 'come on.' "Daddy?"

"I'm okay, baby. Don't worry about me, okay? Go back to sleep."

"Is Mommy okay?"

I thought back to the dream that had sent me running into the room holding the bacta tank. I nodded slowly. "She's okay."

"Good," she smiled. "Daddy, are you okay?"

"Yep."

"You're lying to me."

"How do you know?"

"_I don't need you anymore._" That hadn't been Shmi's voice. I could hear lightsabers buzzing in my head and I _wasn't _sleeping. I cried out, clutching my head between my hands.

It had been a stupid decision to close my eyes. I could now see the visions of the dream clearly. "_Ahsoka. Ahsoka, listen to me,_" I pleaded in the dream.

I could see that she wouldn't listen to me regardless of whatever my dream had me say to her. I saw her turn on me, igniting her lightsaber. I backed up, holding my own out. Obi-Wan appeared beside me. "_Two Jedi? Finally, a challenge!_" She lurched forward, making contact with my lightsaber. I heard her laughing. "_I love you, Anakin._"

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

I ran back into the medbay when I heard Anakin screaming. Kaimi and Shmi were at the far end of the room, cowering, whereas their father was writhing on the bed. I ran to him, trying to shake him until he woke up. He just kept screaming. "Anakin," I tried to say as soothingly as I could. "Come on, wake up, little brother."

His body arched and he let out one final scream before collapsing onto the bed, breathing heavily. His hands were shaking and his eyes held a very frightened look. "Obi-Wan," he gasped.

I gripped his hand tightly in mine, staring at him. "Anakin, it's all right. Everything's all right. Calm down."

He swallowed slowly, nodding. He turned to look at the girls and a deep sadness washed over him. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered.

Plo – who had entered several moments prior – was sitting with the girls. He took the girls out, attempting to calm them down in the process. Once they were gone, I could hear Anakin's heavy breathing much easier. "What happened?" I whispered.

I could see that he wanted to close his eyes, yet he didn't. "Is Ahsoka still okay?"

"Yes, Anakin, should she be anything different?"

"I've been having a nightmare."

"About?"

"Ahsoka," he whispered. "She says hurtful things to me and even _turns against _me. She said she doesn't need me. She said that she doesn't care about _us _anymore…" he sighed, tears were slowly streaming down his face. "You and I fought her. It felt so real. It was almost like a premonition, but I don't see how it could happen. Ahsoka tells me that she loves me all the time and I believe her. Why would she just become so angry like that all of a sudden?"

I shook my head. "I don't know, Anakin. I can see that she loves you, so I'm just as puzzled as you are. I'm going to do everything I can to help you prevent this from happening. I can't fight her because of you. You're my little brother and that makes her part of my family as well."

He sat up a little, smiling weakly. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

I saw the dizzying look cross his expression again. "Maybe you should try to get some sleep. You've been up for a very long time. We'll all still be here when you wake up again. I'm hoping that Ahsoka will be up by the time you've finished sleeping."

"I…" he trailed off, bowing his head. "I don't want to go to sleep. I'll see it again…"

"I'll stay with you. I don't want your health to deteriorate because of this. Nothing is going to happen to Ahsoka. You're taking very good care of her and she knows that you love her."

"How am I taking good care of her?" he snapped. "She's in a bacta tank! If I were taking good care of her, she would be with me!"

I could almost hear his heart breaking. I could see it in his eyes. They weren't the normal blue I'd been used to seeing whenever we talked. The soul of Anakin Skywalker had vanished, leaving only his skeleton. "Just relax." He groaned in frustration, putting his head in his hands. I watched his fingers pull strands of hair tightly, almost like he was _trying _to hurt himself.

I carefully put my hand behind my back and pulled a sedative from the corner of the room. I stepped closer to Anakin, placing my free hand on his shoulder. I felt him tense up beneath my hand. "How would you feel if Satine were in there?" he whispered.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't want to do this, Anakin."

"Do what?" he asked, lifting his head. I quickly jammed the needle into his arm and pressed down to inject the sedative into his body. I glanced up to see the shock on his face as he began to fall out of consciousness. "When… I wake up…"

He fell onto his back and drifted into a peaceful sleep. I felt the negative emotions wash away and I felt relieved. I lifted his legs onto the bed and covered him up. "Get some sleep, Anakin," I whispered. I exited the medical room, turning off the lights. I walked down a few hallways towards Plo's quarters. I entered to see him holding Kaimi on his lap. "How are they?"

He chuckled through his mask. "They're very… _inquisitive._"

I smiled as I wandered closer to them. "Kaimi, Shmi, do you girls want to stay with Master Plo tonight? It'll be a little while before we get back to Coruscant."

The hyperspeed engine had been damaged slightly due to its limited use in the last few years. It had been worn down and threw its last jump while Plo was coming to get us. Kaimi cuddled up against Plo. "I want to stay with Grandpa."

"Grandpa?" I asked, stroking my beard while laughing. I heard Plo make a few sounds and decided to make my leave. I had a lady waiting for me on the hologram projector. "All right, you two. Be good for Master Plo. If you aren't, your father _will _find out."

They stared at me in horror before I turned and walked out. I put my arms behind my back and began heading towards my quarters. I entered and walked to the projector. I switched in on, connecting with the link from Coruscant. "_Obi._"

"Satine, my love," I whispered, smiling.

"_I've missed you. Are you okay? Were you injured?_"

"I've missed you, too, my dear. I'm just fine. The injuries were mainly towards Anakin and Ahsoka, but we're all just fine. Ahsoka is in the bacta tank at the moment and Anakin was just sedated."

"_Sedated? Why?_"

"He was being… uncooperative. He's having nightmares again and wouldn't listen to me. He _needed _sleep, Satine. If you could see him, you would agree. He looks so worn down. He's starving himself mentally and physically because he fears something is going to happen to Ahsoka."

"_So a sedative washes all his fears away? He's going to kill you when he wakes up._"

"I know…" I sighed. "Satine, I don't want him to suffer. He's losing it again. I don't want him to attempt another suicidal thing like he did when he slammed the cruiser into the Senate building. I can't even bear to think what my life would be like if he weren't around."

"_Your little Padawan has grown up,_" she laughed.

I nodded. "Yes, yes he has. Satine, did I tell you what I found on Coruscant a while ago?"

"_No?_"

"It's… it's a long story, my love. I'll explain it to you later."


	17. Out and About

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I groaned as I slowly pushed myself up. My vision was a bit blurred and there was a figure lying beside me. I turned and immediately jumped when I saw the blurry vision of _orange._ "Ahsoka!"

I lurched into a sitting position and pulled her into my arms, squeezing her. I kissed her lek. "Ani," she laughed. "It's good to see that you're awake."

I pulled back and stroked her cheek. "It's good to see you dry and healed. How's this one back here?" I asked, touching the lower end of her rear lek.

"It's okay. There's just a little bit of pain because it was struck kind of hard and deep."

"You've said that before."

"Anakin!" she laughed, smacking my shoulder. "I missed you, sweetheart."

I smirked, kissing her quickly. "I missed you, too."

I rubbed her stomach, kissing her a bit slower this time. I moved my lips with hers to create a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck, placing her hands on my back. She pulled away, staring into my eyes. "Ani, Obi-Wan told me about what happened. Well, sort of. He told me that you had a nightmare. Do you… do you want to talk about it?"

I rubbed her left lek. "Don't worry about it, Soka. It was just a stupid dream. Speaking of which, where's Obi-Wan?"

"He's in his quarters." I got up off of the medical bed, wobbling a bit. Ahsoka was beside me in an instant. "Ani, I know you're upset with him, but –"

"You can come with me. I have something important to tell him."

"So… you won't kill him?"

I smirked, kissing her forehead. "Not _yet._"

I gripped her hand tightly and she led me to Obi-Wan.

He was lying face down on the bed. I chuckled before releasing Ahsoka. I dashed across the room and jumped into a sitting position on his bed, jamming my elbow into his gut while bouncing. "What the blazes?" he exclaimed. "_Anakin, _how _old _are you?"

He glared at me as I finally quit bouncing around. "Old enough to be your son," I laughed.

"You are _only _seven years younger than me, little man."

I shrugged. "I didn't come here to discuss my small amount of maturity." Ahsoka giggled near the doorway. I smiled, whispering, "You _know _I'm _immature_," into her head.

"What's on your mind then?" he asked, worried.

Ahsoka moved to stand in front of me, lowering herself into my lap. She leaned against my chest as I wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder with my thumb. "I… I saw Anima again."

I felt the immense wave of sadness overtake him, washing over and into me. Ahsoka gripped my shirt tightly. I felt her emotional barrier beginning to falter like my own. "And?" he said, attempting to keep himself and his voice under control.

"She told me that something is going to happen. She wouldn't tell me if it was good or bad though. She did, _however_, hint that something good is in store for you."

He raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

I nodded. "That's all she said. Well, of importance anyway. She kept whispering something about being cold, but it probably doesn't mean anything."

He began to stroke his beard, falling deep into thought. "It could mean something. _Cold…_" he trailed off. "What's cold exactly?"

"Anakin…" Ahsoka muttered, giggling.

"Hey!" I laughed, squeezing her a little. "I'm very warm and you know it."

Obi-Wan sighed. "If you two could clear your minds of such _things_, we might be able to figure this out before it's too late or before Anima reveals pieces to us."

"All right. Cold. The only planets I can think of are Hoth and Orto Plutonia," I said.

Ahsoka sighed. "Ice, snow, water?"

"Anakin's heart."

"Could you two stop calling _me _cold? I expected it from Soka, but not _you._ I thought you wanted to be serious anyway."

"Well, we'll just figure this out in time, I guess," Ahsoka announced, rolling her eyes. "Ani, can we spend some time together? I've missed a lot of you…"

I smiled, rubbing her stomach. Obi-Wan sighed again, falling backwards onto his bed. He attempted to go back to sleep. "See you later, Daddy Kenobi," I teased.

"Get out," he muttered into the pillow.

I chuckled, lifting Ahsoka with me. She took my hand, locking our fingers. We left his quarters and began walking down random hallways. "How are you feeling?" she whispered after several moments of silence. Our fingers moved, but stayed in their lock. I felt her eyes on me.

"The better question," I sighed, "is how are _you?_"

She stopped, pulling me back to her. She ran her fingers through my hair, staring up at me. "Don't do that, Anakin. You know I'm fine."

"I know you're hiding your pain from me."

She glared. "You're hiding everything from me."

"You didn't deny it!" I snapped.

"Neither did you!"

"I don't care! This all happened because _I _couldn't take care of _you!_ You were severely injured because I can't protect you!" I clenched my teeth together. I couldn't manage to make myself sound any less angry when I said, "How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Ani, this _isn't _your fault. You've protected me to the best of your abilities."

"You _can't honestly _say that. Look back at what happened with Kaydus! I couldn't save you from _that!_"

"I know you tried –"

"It wasn't good _enough!_" I shouted, slamming my mechanical fist against the wall, barely missing her tiny body. She jumped, covering her mouth as tears began to trail down her cheeks.

She slowly grabbed my hand, removing it from the wall to expose the indent I had left. "Everything you do is to the best of your ability. I would never blame you for what's happened," she whispered.

"I blame _myself_," I said painfully.

She placed her hands on my chest. "_Stop _it."

"Ahsoka!"

"Ani, I –" she began to sob against my chest. "I _hate _this! I _hate _fighting with you."

I sighed, wrapping my arms around her. I gently stroked her rear lek, resting my chin between her montrals. "I'm sorry, Soka. I hate to see you in pain…"

"My _heart _hurts…"

I kissed her montrals lightly. "I'm sorry…"

She buried her face into my chest, clutching the back of my shirt tightly. "Why are you crying, Mommy?"

We both jumped at the small voice. "Shmi," I whispered.

Ahsoka pulled away from me and knelt down to hug Shmi. "Don't worry, little one." I stood there, frozen. Ahsoka _did _love my daughter like her own. Shmi loved Ahsoka like her mother as well. It was kind of _awkward _because Ahsoka is only twelve years older than Shmi. My cheeks were wet. I quickly wiped my face, but, of course, Ahsoka saw it and smiled at me. "_I love you_," she whispered into our bond. "_Always._"

"You catch a lot of things."

"_I'm your wife. I think I know you pretty well by now, sweetheart._"

"Speaking of which…"

She gave me a curious look, raising her eye markings above her left eye. "Our _third _anniversary is coming up, my love. Do you want to do anything special?"

She smiled warmly at me. "_Spending time with you is _all _I want. A nice, loving day with no fighting, no drama…_"

"No kids?" I smirked.

She grinned widely. "_If you find a way to pull all of that off and make it possible, it'll be such an amazing day._"

"Consider it done, beautiful."

"Mommy?"

Ahsoka pulled back to look at Shmi. "Yes, little one?"

"Did Daddy make you cry?"

She glanced up at me, wiping her tears away. "No, Daddy didn't make me cry. I'm just not feeling well."

"What's wrong?"

I stepped forward, needing to touch her to make sure nothing else happened to her. "I'm feeling very lightheaded…" she sighed, rubbing her temples.

I knelt down, pulling her against me. "Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered. She smiled up at me very weakly. She hadn't been able to tell me because we'd been fighting. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I lifted her, carrying her bridal style. Shmi watched in amazement as I was able to completely take Ahsoka into my arms. "Come on, kiddo. Do you want to come back with us or stay with Plo and your sister?"

"I want to be with Kaimi."

I smiled, nodding. I glanced down at the beautiful woman in my arms. Her eyes were closed, but she smiled as she pressed her face against my chest. She reminded me so much of a young child sometimes, but I had to remember that she's my wife.

Shmi held onto my pants as we walked to Plo's quarters. I carefully shifted Ahsoka so I could knock on the door. Plo opened the door and immediately worried – like a father would. "What's wrong with her?"

Ahsoka groaned. "I'm fine, Plo. I'm just a little lightheaded and Ani opted to carry me."

He sighed in relief before glancing down at Shmi. "Hello again, little one. Did we have an adventure?"

She nodded timidly. "I wanted to see my Mommy and Daddy."

She walked into the room. I peered inside to see Kaimi asleep on a spare bed. "Are they being any trouble? We can take them back if you want to get rid of them."

He chuckled. "I love them. They're wonderful little girls. Kaimi wore herself down to the point of extreme exhaustion. Both girls have similar traits as you two."

"I would hope so," Ahsoka laughed quietly.

He placed his hands on her to make sure she was okay. "Go rest, little Soka," he whispered. He glanced up at me, nodding. I raised my eyebrow at him, but he dismissed me.

I shrugged, walking away with Ahsoka. Her legs dangled over my arms, shaking slightly with each step I took. "I love you, Anakin. I love you even if we fight."

"I love you just as much. I'm sorry for snapping at you. It was wrong of me to do that to you. You've suffered enough recently. You didn't need me screaming at you…"

She moved one hand to rest on my chest, rubbing me slowly. "I know you're upset because I was hurt, but please believe me when I say it's not your fault. I know you love me and you do everything you can to protect me. There's not even a fraction of a second when I'd actually believe that something like this was caused by you."

I smiled down at her for a moment, before frowning again. "I want to keep you safe. I want you to feel safe with me. If you're getting hurt and –"

"_No._ You stop this right now, Anakin. You're just going to start another argument and I might not even sleep in the bedroom with you if that's how it's going to be."

I chuckled, nodding. "All right, I won't say anymore about that. I don't want to sleep alone…" I muttered. She kissed my chest after I'd said that.

"I wouldn't let you sleep alone. I don't want that myself. Who's going to keep me warm?"

I laughed. "Oh, so _now _I'm not cold?"

"Turn here and walk down the hall until you reach the last door. That's our room." I rolled my eyes, doing as she said. "I know you aren't cold, Ani. You're very sweet and caring. You're such a loving man. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd _freeze _without me." She slapped my chest playfully. I laughed. "What? I'm probably right."

I walked into the room we would be staying on while heading back to Coruscant. It shouldn't be much longer… I hope. "You are right. I'd freeze and die if you weren't with me. My bed would be so empty…"

And I would be so dead. "Well, it's a good thing we're here then. The last thing I want is for your bed to be empty." I carried her over to the bed, listening to her soft giggles as I climbed on top of her. I slowly planted kisses along her face, trailing down her body.


	18. Dream Discussions

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I opened my eyes to see Anakin asleep. He looked _worried._ I was tempted to wake him, but that would probably cause another argument… "_You can't just wake me up for no reason…_" he grumbled when I woke him up because I thought something was wrong in the past.

I carefully slid out of his arms and scooted off of the bed. I quickly dressed myself and exited the room. I wandered down a few hallways on the massive cruiser before entering Master Plo's quarters. He told me that he wanted to speak with me when Anakin was asleep again. "Little Soka," he greeted, holding his arms out towards me.

"Plo," I smiled, running into his arms for a tight embrace. He motioned for me to take a seat on the edge of the bed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Obi-Wan and I… _discussed_ the recent events on Shili. I understand that you and Anakin faced many difficulties while –"

"He's lucky to be alive. I thought Kaeyn was going to kill him…"

"He is a strong man. He didn't want to leave you alone while you were in the bacta. He… I believe he's a wonderful husband. He put you _before _himself."

"He loves me more than he should," I smiled sadly. "I've hurt him so much. I don't know why he wants to stay with me. I'll probably be the death of him."

"He can see past the pain. He's very emotionally…" he trailed off. "Ahsoka, I believe he's a bit _unstable._"

"What do you mean by that?"

"He'd kill himself over you. Obi-Wan had to sedate him to get him to rest. Have you ever noticed how angry or saddened he suddenly gets?"

"Everyone feels anger and sadness. He's been through a lot. He's been banished before, had three children, been tortured numerous times in different ways, and…" I sighed. "He blames himself for everything that's happened to me."

"I think he needs _help._"

I stared at him. "What?"

"Ahsoka, I didn't mean –"

"Anakin is _fine!_ He's haunted, but he's fine. He isn't acting different! He made love to me and it felt the same – very passionate and intimate. I didn't see anything wrong with him. He's lost a bit too much weight, but…"

"Do you think he's _hiding _things from you?"

"He is hiding things, but he eventually tells me everything. He has a very hard time keeping secrets from me. Plo, why did you want me here? I can see that it's more than Anakin's well-being, even though we _both _know he's fine."

He sighed. "How are you feeling, Little Soka?"

I shrugged. "I feel fine. Why?"

"Obi-Wan told me about your condition. He told me about Anakin saving Kaimi, almost dying for it. He fears that this… _darkness _may be making its way through you very slowly…"

"Do you think I'm dying?"

"It's… possible. Anakin seems to believe that you'll be overwhelmed by it."

"Did he tell you that?" I asked, shocked. Anakin had never mentioned something like this to me. He'd had a nightmare concerning me a while ago, but it was just that. _A nightmare._

"Obi-Wan told me. Anakin confided his dream with him. Anakin fears that he's going to lose you to the dark side or worse."

I stood up quickly, bouncing from the bed. I sped out of Plo's quarters, heading towards my temporary one. After running through several hallways, I burst through the door, watching Anakin jerk out of his sleep. "Soka?" he whispered groggily.

I jumped onto the bed and desperately pressed myself against his body. He held me tightly, forcing himself to wake up a bit more. "What's wrong?" I kissed his neck, biting here and there. He didn't know that I was actually taking out my feelings on him. Biting is a way of _release._ He moaned, closing his eyes. "Soka…" I sank my teeth in a bit too far. "Hey, hey, hey! That one kind of hurt…" I growled and he stared at me in horror as he lifted his hand to the bite mark. "Ahsoka, what is going on?" I tried to go for his neck again, but he stopped me. "Talk to me. This isn't like you, sweetheart."

He pushed me onto my back, holding me down by my wrists. "Anakin!" I cried out with a strained voice, closing my eyes. "I can't do this…"

I felt his confusion and hurt. "What are you talking about?"

I opened my tear-filled eyes. "You think the darkness will consume me."

He began to kiss me passionately, releasing my wrists to place his hands beside me. His stomach pressed against mine. "_No_," he thought. "_I don't think it will. There's too much good in you, my love._"

"Then why did you tell Obi-Wan that?" I asked as he pulled away from me.

"I didn't."

"What happened in your nightmare?" _Silence. _He looked away. "Anakin, tell me," I pleaded. When he didn't respond, I grew frustrated. "Now you see what I'm talking about. Why can _you _keep secrets when _I _can't?"

"Are you kidding me? We're going to have _another _argument because I won't tell you about my nightmare? Are you my _mother _now?" I shoved him off of me, throwing my legs over the edge of the bed. He grabbed me gently before I could bounce off and leave. "Soka, I believe in you. You're a wonderful person. It would take a lot for the darkness to break you because you're so strong." I collapsed against his warm, bare chest. He held my hand tightly. "I wouldn't say you were strong if I didn't think it was true. I mean, look at you. You haven't had any problems whereas I almost _died._ You're very strong-willed, my love."

I stared up at him. "Do you really mean that?"

He gently stroked my lek, trailing his fingers slowly down my back. "_One hundred and ten percent,_ sweetheart. You're my pure angel. It would take a lot for you to willingly choose to fight against me."

He was _so _sweet. I had snapped on him, but he'd managed to turn everything around and make me feel a little better, calming me down. "I'm sorry for the way I acted," I whispered, lifting my hand to rub his neck.

He shrugged, squeezing me tightly. "It's okay, love."

"No, it's _not._ I shouldn't act like this over a nightmare. I hurt you…"

"Ahsoka," he whispered, gently lifting my chin to force me to stare into his beautiful eyes. "I don't care how mad you get. _Nothing_, and I mean _nothing_, you do or say will ever change the way I feel about you." He twisted me a bit to give me a very loving and warm hug. "There's no going back because I love you with all of my heart."

I could feel his heart beating against my chest. "I love you, Ani."

There was a knock on the door. I quickly got up, allowing him to dress himself. Once he looked good – as always – he told whoever it was to enter. Plo stepped through the doorway, glancing at Anakin's unkempt hair and the mark on his neck. "Was I interrupting?"

"No," I whispered, glancing up at Anakin. He was now standing beside me, winding his left arm around my waist.

"I would like to apologize, Little Soka…"

Anakin's eyes were on me as his confusion rose. "Anakin, _I _am the reason Ahsoka's emotions ran wild and she felt distressed. Obi-Wan told me about your nightmare. I assumed that you would have shared this with Ahsoka by now. I put your thoughts –"

"Do you and Obi-Wan _not _know how to keep things to yourselves? This was _my _nightmare, not yours! I can share it with whoever I choose to. I hoped that you two would keep this under wraps because I didn't want to talk about it," Anakin growled.

I pulled him back before he could do anything stupid. "Anakin, why are you hiding this from her? You believe that this may be a premonition. What if _this –_ the silence – is what causes your nightmare to come true?"

Ani sighed, closing his eyes. He opened his eyes after a few moments of inhaling and exhaling slowly. "You turn against us. You become a Sith and duel Obi-Wan and me. The nightmare ended before I could see the outcome. I could _feel _you pressure me with your lightsaber. You were breathing so heavily… and I could almost taste your _rage…_"

I stared up at him in horror. "Ani…"

"It was _just _a nightmare," he whispered, closing his eyes again. He ran his mechanical fingers through his hair roughly.

The door opened and Kaimi entered, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Mommy, Daddy," she whined.

Ani sighed and knelt down as she ran to him. "What's wrong, baby?" he whispered.

"I had a bad dream."

He stared at me, raising his eyebrow a bit. "What was it about?"

"Mommy." Anakin's eyes widened and I could feel him spacing out and losing his control. I drifted into his mind, whispering soothing thoughts, telling him that I was fine and that I still loved him.

He picked Kaimi up, holding her on his hip. He ran his fingers through her hair, glancing at Plo. I watched them share a look before he began to leave. I gave Ani a curious look, wishing he'd speak. Plo exited the room and I turned back to my husband and daughter. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, calmly.

"Mommy's eyes were yellow. She had lightning shoot out of her fingers, Daddy! She looked scary! She hurt you, Daddy! You were screaming!"

I felt my heart break at her words. I couldn't do that to him. He'd been through so much pain… I could never bring myself to physically or emotionally torture him. I didn't even think the lightning could magically shoot out of my fingers anyway.

I love Anakin with every fiber of my being. Nothing could ever… wow, I sound like him now, but it's true. Nothing would ever change my feelings towards him. He's _my _husband, _my _mate, _my _hero. I couldn't lose him because that would kill me.

Anakin held me together when I felt like I was going to lose myself. He's always been my support when I needed him and he's always been there to please me whenever I'm upset. Ani was an overall loving and wonderful man. His compassion was his greatest feat, but could also be his greatest disadvantage… His eyes were closed as he slowly rocked her. I went into our bond, whispering his name. "What's wrong?"

"_Nothing._"

"Don't do that, Ani."

I heard him sigh before he relaxed a little. "_If Kaimi and I are having dreams about you like this, then something's not right._"

"You could both be wrong about this."

His eyes opened slowly. It broke my heart to see them tear-filled. "_I don't think so anymore._"

He laid Kaimi down on our bed before coming back to me. I held his hands between us, staring up into his eyes. I slid one hand up his body, wiping the unshed tears away. "This isn't going to come true."

He closed his eyes, leaning against my hand that was resting on his cheek. "What if it does?"

"Then I want you to do everything you can to stop me. I don't want to hurt you, Ani. I'm so scared because I might. You've suffered enough and I'm just going to cause you more pain…"

"Hey," he whispered, laughing lightly as he opened his eyes. "You aren't the reason for my suffering. You bring me so much happiness, Ahsoka. If I had to endure all of that just so I could be with you again, I'd do it. I don't care how much pain I've been through because that's in the past. This is _now _and right now, I'm happy to be with you. I'm afraid of my dream and of losing you, but I won't allow it to come true." I smiled, closing the distance between us to lean against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his head between my montrals. "I'm going to fight this no matter what. I can't lose you to them. I love you, Ahsoka."


	19. Back on Coruscant

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Senator Skywalker is absolutely correct," Padme's voice boomed from the center of the arena. We were finally back on Coruscant and I had been summoned for a meeting immediately. Ahsoka and I hadn't had a chance to relax. She was actually sitting here with me. "The war has finally come to us. He and his Jedi companions were taken from Coruscant _forcefully_."

My small sphere was floating around hers very slowly. A few other Senators had joined us in the center to argue against me, as usual. "What if he's lying to us?" someone growled – the new Senator of Naboo. He was new and distrusted the Jedi completely.

Padme glanced at me, nodding for me to speak up. I placed my hands on the controls, sighing. "Do you think our long disappearance was planned? Why would we go to the trouble of coming back with injuries if we just wanted to trick you?"

"You and your _family_," he spat, "have deceived us from the beginning. You may be the Grand Master of the Order, but you are no diplomat. You have no skills and are not fit to be a representative of Tatooine. You have no importance in speaking up in this arena."

"That doesn't answer my question, Senator."

"You want to make everyone believe your lies. Where are the Togrutas now? I see none, with the exception of your _wife._ She's a Togruta. What if she's using her race as an excuse to get us involved in nothing and spend countless credits supplying our _troops?_"

"Don't you dare slander my wife," I growled. "Are you racist now? She is a Togruta, but she is loyal to the Republic. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your life."

I glanced back at Ahsoka to see her smile weakly at me. "Why, if I may ask, is she the _only_ Togruta Jedi?"

"Master Shaak Ti and youngling Ashla were slain roughly three _years _ago when Palpatine took over Coruscant." I heard the gasps and whispers that echoed through the arena at the mention of Palpatine. My heart clenched a bit and my back began to burn. I closed my eyes, using the control panel to support myself.

Ahsoka stood up and placed her hands on my back and chest. "What's wrong, Anakin?"

"I can't even say his name without hurting myself," I whispered, opening my eyes to look at her.

She leaned against me, hugging me tightly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

Once the whispers died down, Ahsoka took her seat once again. My eyes locked with Padme's. She motioned for me to come closer. I moved the sphere towards her, getting as close as I possibly could. "Anakin, I need to talk to you and Ahsoka after this meeting, all right? I've got some important news for you both."

"It's something you can't say here?" I whispered.

Ahsoka grew curious, coming to stand beside me again. Padme shook her head. "Not here. I don't want anyone to overhear this. It's something I'm going to need you two and Obi-Wan for. If need be, I can help Satine with the children while you're gone."

"We're leaving _again_?" Ahsoka asked, frustrated.

Padme nodded sadly. "I didn't mean to do this to you both, but I figured it would be the best course of action. I'll give you more details afterwards."

We nodded and I moved the sphere back to its original position. Ahsoka took her seat and I sat beside her. The Senators in the center were attempting to collect themselves from my last statement made in front of the entire arena. "So what you're saying is that there were other Togruta in the Order?"

Ahsoka patted my leg before I could move to stand. "I love you, Ani. You're doing everything you can to get your point across. It'll work in the end."

I smiled at her and her eyes flashed a bit. My heart skipped a beat at her smile and the light in her eyes. I chuckled once, collecting myself before I went back to the controls. "Yes, I'm saying there were others. Ahsoka isn't the only one. She's just the only _survivor._"

Hours of arguing ensued until Padme finally called this meeting to a close for the time being. We would all gather again later when she called us all back. I shifted the sphere backwards, sitting beside Ahsoka as we backed up into the outer arena walls. I held her hand between us. "I'm sorry that he was so cruel when he spoke about you."

She sighed, shaking her head. "It's not like people aren't racist, Anakin."

"At least you know I'm not," I smiled, pulling her gently into a kiss.

Once we separated, she smiled. "I would hope that you weren't. You're sweet, Ani. I don't care what he says in there because it doesn't apply to _me._ I'm myself. I don't really categorize myself as a Togruta because I've grown up with humans most of my life."

Once the sphere stopped, we stood up and began to leave it. We walked into the hallway, having Senators pass us with several glances in our direction. I held Ahsoka's hand, not caring what anyone thought. I'm a Senator and a Jedi and my wife is a Togruta. That's what we are and no one can change that.

Ahsoka's posture straightened as she realized that I was taking pride in myself. She even stepped closer to me, holding my hand tighter. My comlink began to beep on my other arm. I sighed and held it to my face. "Anakin here."

"_Can you and Ahsoka get Obi-Wan and meet me on the landing platform, Anakin?_ _I'll be there after I settle a dispute between a few Senators._"

"Are we leaving immediately?"

"_Shortly after I brief you, yes._"

Ahsoka groaned. "All right," I replied. "We'll be there."

I closed the connection as I continued walking with Ahsoka. I changed the frequency until I connected with Obi-Wan. I heard him yawn into the comlink. "_Kenobi here._"

"Hey, old man, I hope I'm not disrupting something important," I teased.

"_Shut up, Anakin. Satine and I were trying to sleep._"

"Uh huh," I chuckled.

"_What do you want, Anakin?_"

I rolled my eyes. "Padme wants you, Ahsoka, and me to go on a mission apparently. She's going to discuss it with us in further detail once we're all together. Can you meet us on the landing platform?"

He groaned. "_Yes. I'll be there shortly._"

"See you then."

I closed the connection, sighing. "Hey, let me have your com for a sec, Ani."

I nodded, pulling it off of my glove. I handed it to her and she immediately began to reconnect with whoever she wanted to talk to. "_Hello?_"

"Plo," Ahsoka greeted. "Ani and I aren't going to be coming back for a while. Can you keep the kids under control a little longer?"

"_How long is a while?_"

"We're going off planet, according to Padme."

"_All right, Little Soka, I can watch them for you._"

"Have fun, Grandpa," she giggled, closing the connection as he grumbled.

She handed the com back to me as we stepped out of the Senate building. I attached it to my glove again. "Is everything okay?" I asked her as a wave of sadness overwhelmed her.

She weaved her fingers through mine, leaning her head against me. "I'm all right, Ani. I just have a very bad feeling all of a sudden."

"Don't worry. We'll be together."

We arrived at the landing platform and sat down. I held her between my legs with her back pressed against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing her right lek slowly. She smiled, staring out across the city. "Ani?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you didn't jump from the Senate building."

She leaned her head back, poking the tips of her montrals over my shoulder. "I'm glad I didn't, too, sweetheart. I never would have fallen in love with you."

She closed her eyes and a few tears trailed down her cheeks. "I can't imagine what my life would have been like without you. You complete me, Ani. You've given me so much…"

"I'm so sorry for all of the hurtful things I've said to you in the past…" I whispered. "I've never meant a single one of those insults or those arguments."

She twisted a little, placing her montral against my chest. She told me that she loved when I held her like this because she could hear my heart so much better. "I've never meant the things I said back to you, Skyguy."

I shivered, laughing at the old nickname. "I miss that." Her voice echoed from more than three years ago. "_You're stuck with me, Skyguy._" The cute little look on her face… I smiled.

"It's nice to see you so happy, Ani," she laughed, tilting her head to smile up at me. I hugged her closer against me. "You haven't been so happy in a long time."

"Sure I have. Every day is wonderful as long as you're around."

"What were you thinking about, love?"

"Christophsis."

She sighed, smiling wider. "And to think that you didn't like me."

"I did like you. I just had a really twisted way of showing it."

"You're _still _twisted."

"Only with you," I smirked, kissing her montral. "And you love it."

"Ani," she whispered. "I have something to tell you."

"What's that?"

She sat up a bit to stare at me. "I found your journal that you wrote in a few years ago. I was reading through the day you almost killed yourself and the entry after you met me. I flipped a few pages and –"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You saw the pages afterwards?"

"Yes…" she whispered, trailing off. "Were you really that into me?"

I pulled her back to me, resting my chin in the dip between her montrals. "I wasn't _into _you. I was _obsessed _with you. You made me so happy and you pulled me out of myself. My depression was washed away when I first saw your face. Your smile when you stepped off of the small ship took my breath away…"

"I was excited to become a Padawan. I was excited to be _your _Padawan because you were The Chosen One. It was such an inspirational moment for me because I felt somewhat important to be assigned to the Order's prophecy."

"I didn't think you were _my _Padawan. Obi-Wan tricked me. And, sweetheart, you _are _important. Do you remember all of the nights I spent with you after I returned from Rishi the first time?"

"Yes," she chuckled. "I remember the night you told me a story."

"Oh, Force…" I trailed off. "That was such a _terrible _story."

"I thought it was beautiful. I'm assuming you were Ja'rek?"

I chuckled. "I can't believe you remember the name I used. I did some research on Togruta names and found that as one of them. Yeah, Ja'rek was me."

"Who was Le'nae?"

"You."

"I thought I was _Natalia,_" she smirked.

"Only to Kaimi. Well, actually, you're both to me. Le'nae was the younger you. Natalia is you right now."

She closed her eyes. "And when Ja'rek came home, he pulled his Le'nae into a tight hug, telling her that he'd missed her. The two were best friends and she seemed to be the meanest little girl he'd ever met."

I burst into laughter. "How do you remember me saying that?"

"You thought I was mean!"

"You kicked me the first time I met you!" I laughed, tickling her a little. She squirmed in my arms, laughing along with me. She tackled me, forcing me onto my back. Now she had the advantage over me and began assaulting my sides. Her tiny body was between my legs and over my midsection.

I heard a throat being cleared and we glanced up to see Obi-Wan. "Am I disrupting something important?"

I smirked at him. "Nah, this is normal for us."

"By the Force…"

"Only you would twist that," I laughed. "Something as innocent as tickling can be manipulated by your sick mind…"

"Oh, don't even tell me that you didn't see it that way."

I shrugged. "You've got me there, old man."

"Men…" Ahsoka muttered, resting on my chest.

I held her there, staring up at the sky. "You can't live without us," I chuckled.


	20. A New Mission

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka took off to go get things all set for our mission. Padme told us that we needed to go to Hoth. Apparently the Twi'leks had a weapon factory being constructed there. The three of us – alone – were to go there, scout it out, and destroy it. Padme walked beside me towards the _Twilight._ "Anakin, have you talked to Shmi lately? She's been avoiding me and when I actually get her to speak to me, it's very… _blunt._ I didn't think that was in her."

I stopped to face her. "She gets it from me," I laughed, shrugging.

She smiled at me and I could see the affection lingering in her eyes. She attempted to flirt with me, holding her arm nervously. "You were never like that with me, Ani. You were very sweet and I really miss that."

"Anakin!" Ahsoka shouted. I glanced towards her as Padme turned around slowly. I stepped forward as she stopped in front of me, breathing heavily. "We've got everything all set."

"Where's the old man?"

She giggled. "You're so mean to him. He offered to carry everything, so I let him…"

I smirked. "Obi-Wan will probably get himself killed carrying all of your things. Hey, sweetheart, do you realize how cold it's going to be once we get there? You should bring warmer clothing."

I glanced down at her leggings that were cut along the sides. She glanced down with me before shrugging. "I'll be fine, Ani. You'll be there to keep me warm."

"I don't think Obi-Wan would appreciate that. Where would we go anyway?" I crossed my arms, attempting to keep myself from laughing at Padme's jealousy. "Besides, the entire planet is covered in _snow._ I'd be an icicle before we could _really _begin to have fun."

Padme glanced up at me. "Must you two _always _talk about this? I mean, it's not like you're always making love to each other."

I smirked, raising my eyebrow. "We do it all the time," I said, attempting to keep the laugh inside. I glanced at Ahsoka. "Don't we, _Snips?_"

"Yep," she said, smiling widely.

"Are you still that good?" Padme asked, turning her head as I looked down at her.

I smirked. "Ask my _wife._"

Ahsoka giggled, taking my hand. "He's definitely better than _good._"

Obi-Wan came up from behind us, carrying three packs on his back. The largest one was probably Ahsoka's. "I packed warmer clothes for your wife, Anakin."

Ahsoka sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was hoping you might. Thanks, Obi," I said, walking up to take Ahsoka's pack from him.

He groaned at the nickname his wife had given him. "Only Satine can call me that, _Ani._"

"Only Ahsoka can call me that," I said, mocking him. He smiled as he stepped onto the ramp and walked into the _Twilight._ Ahsoka's arms wound around my waist as I draped an arm over her shoulders. She closed her eyes, smiling against my body. I glanced at Padme to feel her jealousy deepening. Hadn't Shmi told me that she was with someone else?

"Keep your mind on the objective at hand, Anakin. Your intimate things can wait until you come back to Coruscant."

"You can't manage my schedule. Ahsoka and I do intimate things when we feel like it. That decision is _ours_ to make."

"Don't let it get to you. This weapons factory is extremely important. You _have _to destroy it."

"I know that, Padme. This is a war. If we aren't willing to do what it takes to win, we risk losing everything we try to protect," I said, staring seriously at her as I tightened my hold on Ahsoka. "We'll see you when we get back."

"Empress Skywalker," she smiled. My stomach churned as I realized that she was trying to aggravate Ahsoka.

"Excuse me?" Ahsoka shouted. "_I _married him! You left him before you were married. You can't use his last name."

"Can't I?"

I felt Ahsoka's anger flare as Padme's pleasure did. I pulled her back. "Don't let her get to you, love."

She sighed in frustration as she shoved my arm away from her. She stormed off towards the ship. She reached the top of the ramp before spinning around. "Get up here. _Right. Now_."

I smirked, running to catch up with her. I got to the top and put my hands on either side of her face, kissing her passionately as the ramp lifted. I heard Obi-Wan grumbling in the pilot's seat. I pulled away slowly, smiling at her. "Love you, Snips."

She sighed, smiling back. "I love you, too, Skyguy."

We walked a few steps before getting into the cockpit. I sat in the empty seat beside Obi-Wan. Ahsoka sat in my lap and I wrapped my arms around her waist. Obi-Wan glanced over at us and smiled.

I mouthed 'what?' to him and he continued to smile. I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled. I stroked Ahsoka's lek slowly as Obi-Wan lifted the ship into the Coruscant sky. "Did you repair the hyperspace engine on this thing?"

"The hyperdrive?" Ahsoka and I said simultaneously, raising an eye marking and eyebrow.

"Whatever…"

"Soka repaired it a while ago."

"We had an off day. Ani was being a jerk and wouldn't get out of bed when I told him to, so I spent the entire day in the hangar fixing this bucket of bolts up."

Obi-Wan shook his head as he steered us out of Coruscant's atmosphere. Something made my heart tighten and I felt extremely sick to my stomach. "Anakin?" I glanced at Ahsoka, her face fully of worry. "You look so pale. Are you okay?" I shook my head, closing my eyes. I leaned my head backwards, breathing slowly through my mouth. Her hand rested on my leg and I felt her eyes lock onto me. "What's wrong, love?"

Another pair of eyes was now on me. Again, I shook my head, opening my eyes. I didn't think I could speak without getting sick. "Well, I know it isn't my flying. He's done much worse than straight paths."

Ahsoka smiled at him weakly before turning back to me. Her cool fingers touched my cheek, running across my jaw line. "Do you want to go lie down for a bit, Ani?" I nodded and she climbed off of me. She helped me out of the chair and led me over to the small resting area that I'd installed years ago. There was a tiny bed that I could fit onto if I pulled my knees in. I lay down and curled up a bit. Ahsoka fit her body against mine, curling up to fit the spaces I left open. She stroked my cheek slowly. I swallowed before smiling. I stared into her beautiful eyes. She ran her fingers through my hair, brushing it out of my eyes. "You're so handsome," she whispered.

"You're beautiful," I said just as quietly. My stomach lurched, but nothing happened.

I draped my arm over her waist, pulling her closer. I ran my hand down her left lek slowly, tracing the blue stripes lightly. "How are you feeling now?"

"My stomach is a bit upset."

She slowly moved her hand down to my waist, rubbing my waistline, trailing up and down my abs.

After lying here for about twenty minutes, Obi-Wan decided he was tired of staring at the blue swirls of hyperspace. He forced us out of the small space and made us stare out of the view screen. Ahsoka sat on my lap, her legs dangling beside mine. She leaned down and began to kiss me. I had one hand on her hip and one between her rear lek and head.

"How is _anyone _supposed to sleep with you two here?" Obi-Wan mumbled.

Ahsoka giggled and I smiled up at her. "He's just mad because Satine isn't here." She nodded, laughing.

"Shut up, Anakin."

I leaned back in the seat and Ahsoka groaned. "Ani, can you let me know when you're going to tilt me forward next time?"

She collapsed onto my chest, her hands rubbing my sides. "Sorry, love," I whispered, tracing circles on her lower back. After a little while, she fell asleep on me and I was beginning to drift off myself. The loud beeping sound woke me up. I lifted my head, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. The other hand was held by Ahsoka. "Hey, Soka, wake up, sweetheart."

She groaned, tightening her grip on my hand. She sat up a bit, yawning. "How long was I out?"

I glanced at the time. "An hour."

She shifted herself off of me to pull us out of hyperspace. "I'm still tired," she whispered.

"I promise I'll let you sleep when we get home," I said, staring up at the back of her head. The snow filled planet was now in view and I shivered. "I hate this planet. It's no Tatooine…"

She turned around to smile at me. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't like cold planets either, but we've got each other and the snowsuits. We'll be all right."

I spun the chair around and lifted one of Obi-Wan's boots with the Force. I jerked my hand to the right and heard Obi-Wan shout, "What in the blazes?"

He rolled off of the bed, slamming his chest onto the metallic floor. I chuckled, spinning around quickly. I pulled Ahsoka into my lap as she began to laugh. Obi-Wan trudged across the small space and smacked the back of my head. "Ow," I said, continuing to laugh. I rubbed the spot, wincing a bit. He walked back into the resting area and pulled his boots on.

"Did we reach Hoth?"

"Yep," Ahsoka said, getting up.

She walked into the back to start dressing herself for the cool weather down below. "I'm going to die," I whispered, closing my eyes. Again, another smack made contact with the back of my head. "Seriously?" I asked, chuckling. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at me.

"I don't appreciate being woken up that way, little one."

"That's how you woke me up as a Padawan, Master."

He burst into laughter, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "That was such an interesting day for me. You were in such a bad mood after that…"

"Anakin in a bad mood? _No way_," Ahsoka laughed, smirking at me.

I glanced at her, my jaw dropping at the sight of her in a snowsuit. "Whoa," I whispered. "Beautiful alert." The stripes on her lekku darkened as she stared into my eyes. I got up and wrapped my arms around her tiny body. I kissed her cheek. "I'm not kidding. You look great, Soka. I could almost –"

"By the Force, Anakin…"

I went into the back, pulling my snowsuit on. "Wow, this thing is so much bigger than I remember it being."

Obi-Wan walked up to me, glancing at the excess amount of space in my suit. "You sure have lost a lot of weight," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"I didn't think I lost that much," I laughed, stunned. "I could probably fit into Ahsoka's suit."

"Want to try?" she laughed from the cockpit.

"I think your shoulders would be a little too wide for it, Anakin…" Obi-Wan smacked my stomach. "Well then."

"What?"

"How much do you weigh now, Anakin?"

I shrugged. "I'm not even sure. Last I knew it was about a hundred seventy-five."

"You've got to be at least a hundred and thirty or _less_."

"Really?" I laughed, glancing down into my suit.

Ahsoka walked up to me, leaning against my side. "I think I know how you look so great, love."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm done talking to you two…"

Ahsoka and I laughed, walking into the cockpit. I began the landing sequence as we began to fly into Hoth's atmosphere. There appeared to be a snowstorm going on at the moment and I groaned, closing my eyes. "This is going to be so much fun…"


	21. The Shadows of Hoth

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

He was shaking before we even left the ship. "Anakin," I laughed. "Come on, my dear. You've been on Orto Plutonia. What's the difference?"

He shook his head. "I've got a really bad feeling about this place."

"Oh, so now _you _have a bad feeling. Why –"

"I remember you telling me about your bad feeling. Just stick with me, okay?" he whispered.

I nodded and pulled my hood up over my montrals. He had his goggles and hood on already. I took his gloved hand and we began to walk down the ramp to meet Obi-Wan.

He turned. "I thought you two had decided not to come."

"Ani got a bit scared," I laughed, staring up at his half smile. "He's fine now though."

Obi-Wan shook his head before pulling out a holomap. "All right, we're here," he said, pointing to the center of the planet. "We need to go here." He pointed to a larger area on the eastern end of the planet. "That's supposedly where our factory will be located."

"And why are we walking all the way there?" I asked.

Anakin and Obi-Wan gave me an incredulous look. "What?"

Anakin cleared his throat. "The storm gave us a bit of cover to land here because it's the most intense here. Where we need to go is a bit clearer and we'd be easily detected."

I nodded and began to walk ahead of them. "Come on, boys," I called back to them.

I could almost see Anakin's eyes roll behind me and his mouth curve into a smirk. Within moments, he was by my side. "Obi-Wan's bones are already freezing," he teased.

"And yours aren't?"

"They might be."

I sighed, pulling him closer to me. His arm wound around me as we continued to drag our boots through the snow.

**Two hours later.**

I could hear Ani's teeth chattering as he pulled his knees up to his chest. We'd stopped for the moment because the snowstorm had intensified. Obi-Wan was out searching for materials to begin a small fire.

I knelt down beside him, pulling his head against my chest. I pretended that I was stroking his hair when I rubbed his hood. "L-l-love you, S-s-s-oka."

"I love you, too."

I wasn't all that cold because the winters on Shili had been harsh. Though I'd only been there for a few years, I'd grown accustomed to different temperatures. He stood up and I sat there watching him walk to the entrance of the small cave we'd been in.

"He's been gone for a long time, Ahsoka."

I stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his forearm. "Should we go looking for him?"

"Stay here," he whispered.

"Ani –"

"If something's happened to him, I don't want to risk you as well. Just stay here and keep the bond open, okay?"

I nodded as he gently pressed his cold lips against mine. "I'll be right here."

"Good," he whispered. "I'll contact you via our bond if I need you or if I figure something out."

Again, I silently nodded. His gloved hand stroked the side of my face that was exposed. "I'll be back soon, my love. Hopefully I'll be Obi-Wan with me."

I watched him walk out of the cave slowly and glance from side to side as he pulled his arms tightly against his chest.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My teeth were chattering uncontrollably now, but I had to find him. I attempted to control my breathing and _not _focus on how cold I was, but that didn't help me at all.

I continued walking for twenty minutes until I saw something lying several meters ahead of me. I frowned and feared the worst as I began to jog across the snow. I knelt down quickly, touching whatever it was.

I flipped it over and almost screamed. How in the Force did Palpatine's body end up here? I quickly stood back up, closing my eyes. "You're insane," I whispered aloud. "This isn't real."

I opened my eyes again and felt sick to my stomach. The body was still there, motionless.

My comlink began to beep and I quickly raised it to my face. "Obi-Wan?"

"_Anakin? Where are you?_"

"I'm looking for you. Where are you?"

"_I'm back at the cave with Ahsoka._"

I groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

"_No. Can you make it back?_"

I heard a loud blast echo through the ridge I was standing in. I glanced up at pieces of a glacier began to plunge towards me. "_Anakin, what was that?_"

"Blast!" I shouted. I attempted to run as the snow and ice crashed down on top of me.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

"Anakin?" I shouted into the comlink. The connection was now overcome with static. The last thing I'd heard from Anakin was, "_Blast!_"

What could he possibly have done? Ahsoka screamed from the entrance. I glanced up, running towards her. "What's wrong?"

I followed her eyes for a moment to see exactly what had happened. "No…"

"I can't feel him in the Force!" she screamed. "He can't be gone! He can't!"

I threw my arms around her waist before she could dash out into the snow. "Ahsoka, stop! We can't go out there. Whoever did _that _might do the same to us and we'll never find him!"

She thrashed about in my arms, screaming Anakin's name crazily. I fell backwards and she lost it, crying hysterically. She gripped my snowsuit tightly in her fingers. "He…" she gasped. "Can't be gone. He was _just _here with me!"

I rested my hand on her lek, knowing that there was nothing I could really do to console her. Everything Anakin did to relax her was very… _intimate_. I knew that rubbing the lekku was something sensual for lovers and that was _so_ off-limits to me.

I chose to move my hand down to her arm, rubbing it slowly. She continued to cry. "I can't feel him…"

I sighed, closing my eyes. "I can't either, Ahsoka. I'm so sorry."

I attempted to reach out into the Force in search of my little brother. I focused on tracking his Force signature, seeing a visual trail. I found the ice barrier and it blocked me from proceeding further. I sighed again, shaking my head.

_Anakin was dead_. There was no way he could have survived that.

Ahsoka had to know that he was gone. She couldn't go on denying herself of his union with the Force. She would never be able to touch him again, to smile at him.

A stream of tears slowly fell from my eyes. All of the warmth Ahsoka had felt with him around was now gone. She would become a shard of ice without her other half.

Ahsoka pushed herself off of me, standing. She walked towards the entrance and stared at the wreckage where her husband lies.

"Ahsoka, I want you to calm down. There's nothing we can do."

"I should have gone with him…"

"You would be dead, too."

"Don't say _that!_ He is _not _dead! He's very much _alive!_ I know he is! He can't die!"

Before I could respond, she stormed out of the cave. "Ahsoka!" I shouted. She disappeared into the storm, becoming one with the everlasting white shades.

I sighed, shaking my head. Ahsoka Skywalker was also no more. Without Anakin, she was dead. She wouldn't be able to harm herself. She couldn't do that to her children, but they would serve as a reminder that Anakin had been alive moments before.

I sat down and sighed. I'd almost lost Anakin before, before he was assigned to be Ahsoka's Master. Christophsis had changed the young man. I knew he'd had relations with Ahsoka prior to becoming her Master, but it hadn't been anything serious.

Anakin survived the sadness that had been thrust upon him after Padme left him. He'd survived the agony of watching Ahsoka's painful pregnancies. He'd survived the infliction that Palpatine had placed upon him for months.

Anakin was a strong willed man. Nothing could have torn him apart more than losing Ahsoka. Her first transition to the dark side had almost killed him. The last thing he ever wanted to do was fight against her.

I could at least say that Ahsoka had bettered Anakin's life considerably. The children she had given him had completed him. Their marriage had created so much more love from both of them. They survived each other's transitions to the dark side, never losing faith in the other.

Both had confided in me their fears of losing each other. Ahsoka had been afraid of Anakin leaving her. She thought she was boring him. That had been when they argued over Kaimi. Kaimi was a large piece of both of their hearts and neither of them wanted to let her out of their sight in the first few months.

I chuckled, thinking back to how I had stopped them from leaving each other. "_Anakin,_" I'd sighed. "_You are the father, but Ahsoka is also the mother. You two need to share responsibilities. Kaimi needs the both of you. Can you let go of your childish ways?_"

"_You're such an old man_," he laughed. I could see his smile in my head as he pulled Ahsoka into his arms. "_I'm sorry, Ahsoka. Obi-Wan's right. I need to stop acting like I'm the only one that can take care of her. We're in this together. Do you forgive me?_"

She sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "_Of course I forgive you, Anakin. I'm sorry, too. I acted just like you did._"

Needless to say, they both made up _quite _well afterwards.

"_Obi-Wan, I feel like I'm going to lose him. What if I say something wrong? What if he finds someone that's prettier than me?_"

I'd stared directly into her eyes. "_Ahsoka, he loves you very much. If he didn't, he wouldn't have married you. Anakin isn't one to commit himself to something he doesn't care about. Like rules, for example. He's never been able to stay by the book because he doesn't care about rules. Don't you ever worry about how you look. Anakin doesn't care for that either. Haven't you gotten tired of him telling you how beautiful you are?_"

She'd smiled so widely and she'd lost that fear after days of watching Anakin.

Anakin, on the other hand, thought that he wasn't being a good father or husband. That conversation had been _much _harder. "_She hates me. I can tell. She wants more from me, but I don't want to take advantage of her. I love her so much. She knows how close I came to killing myself over Padme. What if she just thinks I'm her friend and doesn't want to lose me?_"

"_You just said it right there, Anakin. She doesn't want to lose you. Can't you both just tell each other how you feel without dragging me into this?_"

"_Has she complained about me?_" he asked sadly.

"_No. She's come to me about her fears. She thinks you're going to leave her. Anakin, she loves you. You love her as well. Tell her that. Tell her that your love is unconditional and that it'll never end. Stop coming to me for advice. You two can tell each other everything._"

"_What if she loves me, but… what if she thinks I'm being a bad father? I try to wake up as much as I possibly can during the night so I can take Kaimi into the other room and feed her, but Ahsoka always beats me to it…_"

"_You're trying, little brother. The whole parenting this is new to you both. You're learning _together._ Everything's going to work out. I know you never saw how Satine and I took care of Airi, but we went through what you're going through now. Look, we both love each other more than we have. We came together to care for our daughter. You and Ahsoka need to do the same thing._"

He laughed nervously, smiling weakly at me. "_You know what? You're right. We can get through this. We've faced so much worse in the past. Thanks, old man._"

He'd left the room and had talked to Ahsoka about everything. He told her how much he loved her and she did the same. I've never felt more confident in my teaching abilty.

Love, no matter what form its in, is unconditional. I was able to make them see that.

I smiled briefly. A wave of darkness and shadow washed over me. I glanced around the cave, staring at the blue crystals lining the walls before I stared out of the cave. The emotions had come from _outside._


	22. Bright Lights

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was on Naboo, staring out at a large waterfall. Ahsoka was lying across my lap, holding my hand on her stomach. This had been a few months after Kaimi's birth.

"_It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,_" she whispered, following my gaze.

I glanced down at her, smiling as I moved my other hand down her right lek. "_You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Ahsoka._"

She sat up quickly. "_I want to swim._"

"_We didn't bring anything for that…_"

She smirked, pulling me up. She took off, speeding towards the lake. She jumped in and didn't resurface for a few moments. She came up in a wet burst, wiping her eyes. "_Come on, Ani._"

I smiled, jogging over towards her. I carefully stepped into the water.

It was _freezing._

I gasped at the mass of white surrounding me. I was _under _the snow and ice. I clenched my teeth together to stop the chattering and balled my hands into fists, focusing on lifting the layers above me with the Force. I had a _very _difficult time doing so. Nothing seemed to want to move because I was too weak.

_Obi-Wan._ I carefully and slowly pulled my hands closer to my face and tapped the comlink. "O-obi-Wan. C-c-come in."

"_Anakin?_" he said through the static.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm on my way. Hang in there, little one."

"O-okay…"

I lowered my head onto the ground, shivering. I kept the connection open, listening to his heavy breathing as he ran from wherever he was.

Within moments, I could hear the ice shifting above me. I attempted to help, but my power was very limited because I couldn't focus on anything other than _pain _and _cold._

A bright light shined through, blinding me before Obi-Wan's figure appeared. He leaned down and gently began to move the ice from my lower half. He helped me up and practically dragged me. Most of my body was frozen and immobile.

He dragged me across the snow until we were back in the cave. He laid me down by the fire, opening my jacket that was filled with snow.

I cried out as he shifted my legs. "I'm sorry…" he whispered sadly.

"Ah-ah-Ahsoka?"

"She's gone," he whispered.

I let out a strangled scream, feeling my heart shatter into a million tiny shards. "Anakin, I can't feel her anymore, but she is _alive._"

"Where…?"

"Don't worry about her right now, okay? You're going into shock. Just relax. I'll get you out of here soon, little brother." He lifted his comlink to his face and commed someone. It sounded like Plo. "Master Plo, Anakin is heavily injured on Hoth. We seem to have misplaced Ahsoka as well. Can you send for a transport to come for us?"

"_Of course. I will arrive shortly with a few others. Is Skywalker frostbitten?_"

"Yes, very badly."

His hand rubbed my shoulder as I continued to shiver and my teeth began to chatter louder. "_We'll be there with the proper accommodations._"

I groaned and closed my eyes. I felt like _dying_.

**One week later.**

Another bright light woke me up. I gasped – more like screamed – at the amount of pain in chest, stomach, and everything below. "Relax. You're safe. You've been in the bacta."

I stared at him. "How long?"

"A week," Obi-Wan said, looking down at the floor. His hand was on my mechanical wrist.

"Where's Ahsoka?"

"Anakin, I have some very, _very _bad news…"

I stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell me whatever it was. "Well, old man? I'm not getting any younger here, you know."

She thinks you're _dead._ She was drowning in anguish the last time I saw her. She's… she's joined the Sith…"

"_No._" I shook my head, gripping the sidebar on the edge of the bed. "There is _no way _she'd join _them!_ She's _good!_ Why would she do that?"

"She suffered greatly at the thought of never seeing you again. She ran away and we were contacted by a tribe in the Outer Rim. They reported a Force-wielder attacking them. Ahsoka _killed _the man that attempted to call us for help. His message came through as a recording, ending when Ahsoka slashed through the projector."

"She…" I trailed off, closing my eyes. "She couldn't have…"

"I _saw _her, Anakin."

I clenched my fingers, snapping the bar in half. "Don't fall down that path. We can save her. She _can _be _redeemed_, Anakin. If you go down that path, we may never have a chance of saving either of you."

I turned over, facing away from him. He patted my arm before getting up to leave. I heard his heavy steps until they were replaced with lighter ones.

"Anakin," Satine's soft voice whispered. "Do you know that you can talk to me?"

I nodded, rolling over to face her. She was more like a sister than a friend to me. I could trust her just as much as I trusted Obi-Wan. She placed her hand on top of my mechanical one. "I've been meaning to speak with you. I _need _to so much more now though."

"About?"

"Your _depression_," she sighed. "Obi read your journal, my dear, and decided to share his findings with me. Were you really going to _kill _yourself over, Padme?"

"Satine," I pleaded. "I really don't –"

"Hush," she commanded, placing her other hand on my mouth for a moment. "Padme is my friend and I respect her as a diplomat, but I don't see why you would go to the extreme over her. She isn't worth your time, my dear. You're so much better without her, clearly. Anyway, Obi is just as heartbroken as you are. He's afraid of _losing you _because you've lost your other half. We _will _find her. You're _both _very strong and can make it through this."

I smiled as she moved her hand up to brush the hair out of my eyes. "I know how it feels to be alone, Anakin. Obi was always fighting by your side while I was stuck on Mandalore or at home. I missed him dearly and I know you miss her."

"What if she's too far gone _mentally?_ What if I can't bring her back?"

"She'll know it's you when she sees you."

Tears slid down the sides of my face. She took my hand, holding it tightly. "Thank you, Satine."

She smiled warmly. "You're welcome, my dear. You're part of my family and I want you to feel better. I don't want to leave you here to suffer when I know how it feels."

She stayed with me, whispering comforting words and we actually grew closer. She told me about the sadness she and Obi-Wan felt after losing Anima. I told her about the nightmares I'd had about her child and she nodded, taking everything in.

We shared everything with each other, even making some inappropriate jokes about Obi-Wan and Ahsoka in bed.

She calmed me down when I had a full out breakdown, telling me that everything was going to be okay. She laughed when she said, "Ahsoka wouldn't want to miss the chance of lying in bed beside you again, Anakin."

After I'd relaxed for a while, she decided to take her leave and go spend some time with Obi-Wan. Shortly afterward, Kaimi entered. She skipped across the room, hopping up onto the bed to cuddle up beside me. She jammed her knees into my side as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"Where's Mommy? I miss her."

I ran my fingers through her hair, swallowing back my tears. "I don't know, kiddo, but I miss her, too."

"Is she mad at you?"

I chuckled briefly, shaking my head. "Nah, I don't think so."

She stared at me and I almost burst into tears. She looked _exactly _like her mother. "What's wrong, Daddy?" she whined, pressing her hands against me.

I traced the facial markings that were identical to Ahsoka's. "Nothing, kiddo. Everything's _fine._"

I heard screaming in my head. _Ahsoka's screaming._ I traveled through the Force until I found her. That was something I could do easily since we'd been together for so long.

She was lying on the floor with steam coming off of her small body. She was scarred on her arms and legs along with several bruises. I saw many bruises along her montrals and lekku as well.

I could see their surroundings quite clearly and I knew _exactly _where they were.

I shoved myself away from the vision and arrived back in the medbay beside my daughter. "What happened, Daddy?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "Hey, what do you say about staying with Aunt Satine again?"

"I love Aunt Satine!" she cried out, smiling widely.

I chuckled throwing my legs over the side of the medical bed. I almost lost my balance, but quickly regained it. "I'm sure she _loves _you, too, kiddo."

I pulled her into my arms and carried her through the temple until we reached the Kenobi quarters. I knocked, shifting her into my other arm.

Airi appeared, smiling up at me. "Uncle Ani!"

Kaimi wiggled out of my arms and both girls ran towards Airi's toy box.

Satine and Obi-Wan must be in the refresher. I walked over to the crib and picked up my son. I positioned his head on my shoulder, rubbing his back slowly. I heard him whimper and felt his fingers grip my hair tightly, tugging on it. "It's Daddy," I whispered.

He relaxed at the sound of my voice, something he hadn't heard for a while. I began to sing my mother's song softly, tears streaming my face as I did so.

The door hissed and Obi-Wan entered. "Are you okay, Anakin?"

"Yeah," I whispered, wiping my eyes quickly.

Shmi skipped into the room, screaming, "Daddy!"

I knelt down, hugging her while being very aware of Cayden. "Where's Mommy?"

"That's what I'm actually here to discuss with your Uncle."

He stepped closer, raising his eyebrow. "She's on Tatooine. I went through the Force. The surroundings told me that she was in the same location where we found Jabba's son three years ago."

"Huh," he huffed. "Well, off we go then."

I turned, walking towards the crib. I placed Cayden back into it as Obi-Wan entered the refresher, most likely going in to tell Satine about the new information.

Shmi tugged on my pants. "Daddy, can I come with you? Master Yoda has been teaching me how to use a lightsaber!"

"Has he now?" I laughed, raising my left eyebrow.

"Yep."

"Show me what he's taught you," I chuckled, moving us quite a distance away from Cayden.

She pulled her lightsaber from her belt, igniting her azure blade. "Hey, you take after me," I laughed, igniting my own.

She smiled and swung forward with accuracy. She almost hit me several times before I could block her quick strikes. She _definitely _had some skill.

I breathed slowly, deactivating my lightsaber. "Okay, kiddo, you can come, but _stay close to me._"

She nodded, deactivating her saber as well. "Yes, Daddy."

Obi-Wan came back out, nodding at me. "We're all set. Satine will watch the kids again."

"Shmi is coming with us."

He stared at me like I was crazy. "Are you sure that's a really good idea?"

I attached a comlink to her glove. "She's just as skilled in a lightsaber as we are. I think she'll be fine."

"Against a Sith?"

"I didn't say she'd be fine _alone._ We'll be there to protect her, but she can still participate. Anyway, I'm supposed to take my Padawan along with me, aren't I?" I smiled.

He sighed, shaking his head. "All right, fine. Well, _Master _Skywalker –"

"_Grand _Master Skywalker," I said, smirking.

"Yes," he grumbled. "Anyway, I believe you're right." He glanced down at Shmi. "Come on, little one. You'll finally be able to see some of the action up close."

She smiled widely, jumping up and down. He lightsaber smacked her in the side as she did so, but it didn't seem to bother her.

Satine came back out of the refresher, kissing Obi-Wan briefly before saying good-bye to all three of us. Shmi held my hand as we walked to the landing platform to get a decent sized ship.

Ahsoka must have taken the_ Twilight…_


	23. Darkness on Tatooine

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I flipped the controls and we began our flight. Shmi was sitting in my lap while Obi-Wan sat in the empty seat beside me. "Shmi," I whispered. "We might find something you won't like."

"Why?"

"Mommy… isn't Mommy. She's… _different._"

"How?"

I sighed again, running my fingers through her hair. "Mommy might be a little… _mean._ She might say hurtful things, but don't listen to her, okay?"

She nodded, fidgeting with the handle of her lightsaber. I stared at her sadly, feeling as if I could see into the mind of this little, eight year old. I could feel her sadness and anger. Why was she angry? I could understand the sadness because of what I'd just said to her, but… anger?

"Anything you want to talk about, baby?" I whispered.

She leaned against my chest, sighing. I watched her, concerned. The last thing I wanted to do was neglect her feelings because I'd done that for five years. _Unwillingly._

"I don't want to hurt Mommy…"

Obi-Wan glanced at me sadly, frowning deeply. I wrapped one arm around her waist, hugging her tightly against me. "I don't either. I don't want _you _to get hurt either, baby girl. Are you sure you want to come? I can… I can turn us around and drop you off with Aunt Satine if you want."

"No," she said defensively. "I want to go. We need to bring Mommy back."

I sighed, smirking a little. She was just like me.

My thoughts trailed back to the first few weeks that I'd had Ahsoka as my apprentice. "_I will not let her die! She needs me!_"

Somehow she'd managed to get kidnapped by a bounty hunter that wanted _me._ The bounty hunter had threatened to kill her if I didn't show up when I was supposed to. Obi-Wan had tried to talk me out of leaving, but I'd said a bunch of things that made him stand out of my way.

After about two hours, I had Obi-Wan take over for a moment. I stood up and walked into the back, placing Shmi on one of the small cots that was lying on the floor. I covered her up and ran my fingers through her hair for a moment. I smiled at the thought of looking at my beautiful daughter. I could actually say that all three of my children were beautiful. Shmi and Cayden mainly took after me while Kaimi was like her mother.

I stood up and walked back to the controls, taking my seat again. "How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Depressed," I sighed, telling him the truth. "I'll survive though, so don't worry about me. I just want to get Ahsoka back with the least amount of injuries to any of us."

"I'd tell you to go lie down, but I fear you may not want to."

I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"You had a nightmare about Ahsoka falling to the dark side and she has. What if you dream about something worse than this? I mean, what if –"

I waved my hand, telling him to stop. "Don't even finish that sentence. I don't want to think about that right now."

He nodded apologetically. "On the other hand, you were also right about what Anima said."

Again, I cocked an eyebrow at him. "She said something good was going to happen to me. Well, something did happen."

"Really?"

He nodded, a wide smile spreading across his features. "Satine is pregnant again."

A wave of happiness ran through me. I stood up and hugged him, which was a little awkward considering the fact that I never randomly hugged him and that the controls were in the way. "Congrats, old man."

He chuckled, slapping my back – which really hurt. "Thanks, little one. She wanted to see before I left and she told me just before."

"That's why she was in the refresher then?"

"You bet."

"Wow," I laughed. "I'm happy for you both."

"I just hope this one survives. Anima's death was unfortunate…"

"I don't think she would have said that something good was going to happen if this one wasn't going to make it. She probably wouldn't have mentioned it."

"I hope you're right."

We sat in comfortable, happy silence for the rest of the trip. Once we reached Tatooine, my happiness died away slowly. "I was hoping I'd never have to lay eyes on this dustball ever again," I sighed, flipping the switches to prepare for a safe landing.

Of course, as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka joked many times in the past, there was never such thing as a safe landing with me around. The engines in the back blew out. "Blast!" I shouted, spinning around as the ship began to rock violently.

Shmi woke up immediately, jumping up and running to me. I held her against my legs tightly. Obi-Wan stood up and took her into the back, strapping her into a seat against the walls. Once he'd made sure she was safe back there, he strapped himself in beside me and I mimicked his actions.

I shook the controls furiously, attempting to get the path straightened out so our crash landing wouldn't be _as _bad. "This always happens with you again," he muttered, glancing at me.

"You're – not any better," I said through my teeth. I pulled back on the controls and the ship lifted its front just a bit. I continued to shake my entire body from side to side until I felt that the ship was on a decent enough course. Shmi was screaming in the back and Obi-Wan was groaning.

We were coming in hot and pieces of the ship began to fly backwards into space. The hull itself was deteriorating.

Once we broke the atmosphere, the burning intensified. The inner part of the ship was beginning to heat up quite nicely.

"All right, who's in favor of jumping?" I asked.

Obi-Wan stared at me incredulously as I unstrapped myself and ran into the back to grab Shmi. I clipped her lightsaber onto my belt and held her against me tightly. Obi-Wan was by my side in a flash, helping me cut through whatever was left of the side.

It burst open and flew to the left, heading back up into the sky. The sands of Tatooine were swirling beneath us as we grew closer to crashing. I jumped and Shmi screamed once more. I twisted myself so that I would be the one slamming against the dunes, keeping my daughter somewhat unharmed.

Of course, I landed on my back. I gasped a little as I began to tumble down the dunes. Once we finally stopped moving, Obi-Wan rolled up beside me. He sighed, glaring at me. "Never again will I go anywhere with you."

I shrugged, checking Shmi. She was a little bruised, but I had by far suffered the most during that…

He stood and helped me up. I placed Shmi on the sand and handed her her lightsaber. "All right," I sighed. "We need to go north…"

Obi-Wan groaned and Shmi took my hand. I led them in the right direction until we finally came upon the temple. I could sense the evil within and I could feel a distinct fraction of light…

I picked Shmi up and swung her onto my back. I jumped up and began to grab the vines that were dangling from the top of the temple. I began my journey up the side and Obi-Wan sighed below me. "I'll just wait for you to come back."

I glanced down and laughed. "Old man."

He began to mumble things that I couldn't hear, but I assumed they were all derogatory names for me.

We made it to the top of the temple and I sighed, putting Shmi down once again. "Daddy, I can sense Mommy."

"So can I," I whispered.

We cautiously entered the temple, walking through empty, darkened hallways. A cool breeze flew past us and Shmi's hand tightened around mine. "I'm scared, Daddy."

Her other hand was on her lightsaber, as was mine. I was going to be ready just in case anything jumped out suddenly. I'd lost my wife and I wasn't about to lose my daughter, too.

I heard screaming in another room along with cackling laughter. My chest tightened when I heard the screams of Ahsoka again. This time it was so much closer…

I darted forward, letting go of Shmi to head into the room.

_Ventress._ She was torturing my wife.

I growled, igniting my blade as I jumped forward. Ahsoka immediately stared at me as if she didn't know who I was. I slammed my azure blade against Ventress' blood red one.

"Anakin?" she gasped on the floor.

Shmi and Obi-Wan entered the room holding their blades. Ventress hopped over me, skimming my knee with her saber. She didn't do much damage, but it still hurt.

"This isn't your mate," Ventress sneered. "This is the simple ghost of _him._ They're trying to trick you! You must not fall for this!"

"No!" I shouted as Ahsoka stood up and ignited a blade similar to Ventress'. She growled and I could see the golden tint in her eyes.

"Ahsoka, wait –"

She Force-pushed me backwards into a wall and leapt towards me, slamming her saber against mine. I kicked her to the side. "It's me, Ahsoka! Don't listen to her!"

"I don't need _you _anymore!" she laughed.

"Ahsoka," I pleaded. "Ahsoka, listen to me."

"_No!_" she screeched. She leapt at me again and I barely blocked her. She slammed me against the hard wall and kicked my leg, knocking me to my knees.

I stumbled before standing up again. "Soka, listen to me. I'm not lying to you. It's Anakin. It's _me!_"

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Only a liar would try to lie about their deception."

"Ahsoka, I love you! I wouldn't lie to you about this!" I cried out desperately.

I quickly glanced past her to see Obi-Wan on the ground. Shmi was fighting _alone_ against Ventress.

I Force-pushed Ahsoka to the side and charged at Ventress. I kicked the hilt of her lightsaber and Shmi fell to the ground. She cried out a little as Ventress began to dash down the hallway.

I spun around to pull Ahsoka's lightsaber into my hand. She growled at me as I walked closer to her. "Soka, it's me. I swear to you, it's me."

"It's not _you! _Anakin is _dead! _I _felt _it!"

I knelt down in front of her and pulled her against my chest. "You can feel me right now. I'm right _here._ I am _not _dead, Ahsoka. I'm holding you and you can feel that. Your senses are clouded because of your anger. Relax, please. I promise nothing else is going to happen to you. Just trust me."

"No!" she screamed as I held her wrists above her head to restrain her. "You aren't real!"

**POV: Shmi Skywalker**

After seeing Daddy by Mommy's side, I became really angry. He _left _me here on the floor _by myself! _Uncle Obi-Wan was unconscious because the bald lady had choked him.

I was upset because I had sprained my ankle. Daddy was more concerned with Mommy than me! That wasn't fair! He owed me because he left me for five years!

Suddenly, the hungry urge to Force-choke both of them hit me. Before I knew what I was doing, instead of Force-choking them, I began to throw electricity at them. Bolts flew from my fingers, crashing against them.

They screamed in pain as an evil smirk slowly spread across my face, consuming me. I could see the skeletons of my parents as their bodies flashed with the electricity. Daddy was trying to protect Mommy from the lightning, but there was nothing he could do.

"Shmi!" someone yelled from behind me. I turned my head and that someone shoved a needle into my neck. Everything went black as I collapsed.

**A/N: I would like to thank Huntress Kyburi for her help with the ending of this chapter. It was very much appreciated! I hope you liked the chapter! :)**


	24. The Moments After

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I gasped as Shmi collapsed against the floor. "Are you seriously carrying sedatives with you now?"

Obi-Wan sighed, half smiling at me. "I thought we might need them for your wife. I didn't think your daughter was going to act this way."

Ahsoka was unconscious beneath me. "Oh, I thought you might want them for _me._"

"That was a onetime thing and it really hurt to do that. I wanted to make sure you got some sleep and you _did. _I'll probably never sedate you again. Should I put a bit in Ahsoka now? It doesn't appear as though Ventress is coming back for her."

"No," I growled. "I don't want that for her. If she wakes up, we'll see how she acts. As for right now, we need to… _borrow _a ship."

I picked Ahsoka up, holding her bridal style in my arms. Her hands were folded over her stomach and her head rested against my chest, legs dangling over my arms. I stared down at her sadly, seeing the marks on her skin up close now.

I glanced back at Obi-Wan as he picked Shmi up and held her gently against himself. "I'm assuming by _borrow_, you mean _steal?_"

"We'll see. Mos Eisley is a spaceport. They've got to have something for a decent price."

We managed to get out of the temple and cross the Dune Sea safely, entering the crowded spaceport. I saw a few familiar faces, but decided to avoid as many people as I possibly could. I glanced sideways at Obi-Wan to see him looking around the area cautiously.

Anyone could have stopped us and questioned us. We were two men carrying an injured woman and a child. Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious? I would have stopped us…

I was still a bit shaken up by the fact that _Shmi _had turned against us. What had happened in the moments between arriving on Tatooine and attempting to stop Ahsoka?

"Are you okay?"

I blinked and realized that I'd stopped moving and had been staring at Shmi's back. I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I can tell that you aren't, Anakin. I'm here if you want to talk about anything. I know you've been going through a lot lately and I can't really relate to it, but I've been here with you all along, Anakin. I hate to see you and _our _family in so much pain. You're my little brother and I want you to know that I'm here for you."

I smiled weakly at him. He motioned for me to follow him into a cantina. We sat in a booth, Ahsoka was on my shoulder and Shmi was leaning against the wall. I rested my elbows on the table, running my fingers through my hair as tears began to slip from my eyes.

I quickly wiped them away, not wanting to show my weakness right now. "I don't understand how this is happening. Is it just me? My children are tainted and Ahsoka _is _a Sith. I just want to scream so badly…"

"Don't blame yourself for this. I don't understand how this is affecting the children, but Ahsoka's turn was _her _choice. You warned her and she – despite the knowledge – willingly changed."

I continued to cry, my body shaking violently with guilt. "I can't take this anymore."

"Do _not _say that!" he growled. "I read your journal. I understand that breaking up with Padme may have seemed like the worst thing possible several years ago because you were so in love, but she cheated on you. Ahsoka is still alive and somewhere inside of her, she still loves you. This is still the Ahsoka you married. She's just a little _gone _because she thought she lost you. She lost her senses and did something she shouldn't have. You both can't risk your lives because something bad happens."

I slammed my fist on the table, breaking the edge of it. "If I had killed myself, _none _of this would have happened! I could have prevented Ahsoka's turn! She could be _happier!_"

"Can you really say that?"

I grinded my teeth together, closing my eyes. "_Yes._"

"So you'd rather take your life _and _your childrens' to prevent Ahsoka's turn? There is no way in the great depths of Mustafar's lava that she would ever be happy without you."

I bowed my head, placing my hands on the back of my head. I tugged on my hair until tears dripped onto the table. "Anakin, you can't honestly believe that your death would have –"

"It _might _have."

"She loves you very much and she can't live without you. You two met long before she was assigned as your Padawan. Ahsoka wouldn't have said 'I love you' if she didn't love you or 'I do' if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with you. Haven't you ever thought about this?"

I fidgeted with the wedding ring on my finger for a few moments before glancing at Ahsoka's hand. Her ring was still there. "You're right," I sighed.

"Aren't I always?"

"Don't get cocky," I laughed.

"Blast, don't turn around."

I glanced up at him, confused. "Why?"

He lowered himself onto the table. "Bounty hunters."

"Do you think they're looking for us?"

Ahsoka began to stir beside me. "If we weren't in trouble, we certainly are now…" Obi-Wan sighed.

She immediately jerked away from me, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Relax," I whispered. "It's me. I promise."

She glanced around and saw the bounty hunters. She immediately relaxed and grabbed my hand. "You're dead, Anakin. You can't be here…" she whispered, staring into my eyes.

"I'm here. I'm alive." I lifted my hand to stroke her cheek lightly.

I was afraid of the crazed look in her eyes. She didn't believe me and I could tell. She rubbed my hand and _still _didn't believe me.

Obi-Wan decided it was finally time to go. He picked Shmi up in his arms and walked out first. I grabbed Ahsoka's hand and kissed it gently. "It's me, Soka."

I slid out of the booth, gently pulling her with me. It was now that I realized how battered and bruised she was. Her clothes were torn in various spots all over her body, her lekku were damaged, her arms and legs all had similar bruises to the ones on her lekku.

I rested my flesh hand on her hip and moved my mechanical hand up to her face, lightly tracing her facial markings. "Ani," she whispered. Her eyes were still golden and I could feel her anger as well as her sadness building up.

I held her against my chest tightly, kissing the center of her montrals. Her fingers dug into my back as she cried into my vest. "How are you here?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I blacked out and then I woke up. Obi-Wan helped me get out. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry for all of the hurt you've had to face on your own…"

I held her against my side as we walked out of the cantina. Obi-Wan was dealing with a ship-dealer. I rolled my eyes before glancing down at Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, how _bad _do you feel right now? Are you able to come back to the light side?"

She stared up at me slowly. "Ani…" she sighed. "I can't come back to the light side."

"Why?"

Before I realized what was happening, she shoved me backwards and pulled hers and my lightsaber into her hands. She ignited the red and the blue one, giving me an evil glare. "Soka, don't –"

She leapt forward and I instinctively threw my hand out, clenching my fingers. She stopped dead in the air, dropping the sabers. I didn't want to hurt her, but I had to stop her for the moment. I pulled my fingers closer together, watching painfully as she struggled against the invisible hand.

She released a strangled and heartbreaking scream before her head drooped forward. I immediately released her and caught her in my arms. I felt her neck for a pulse and sighed in relief. My own heart was beating faster than it should be, but at least I hadn't _killed _her.

I picked her up in my arms once again – pulling the sabers individually into my hand to attach them to my belt – and walked slowly towards Obi-Wan. I couldn't help the tears that fell as I stared at her face.

"Well, I've gotten us a ship for a decent price."

"How – how many credits?"

"None."

I smirked. "Ah, The Negotiator."

He chuckled and led me towards our ship. We walked up the ramp and entered a nicely sized Nubian yacht. "Score five for Kenobi," I laughed, whistling. "How did such a nice ship get here?"

"Score one for Skywalker," he replied.

"How did I get a point?"

"It was just a free point," he laughed. I rolled my eyes and set Ahsoka down on a small bed in the back. Shmi was placed on another bed opposite from my position. She wouldn't be waking up until we got back to Coruscant.

"Hey, this is a pretty easily maneuverable ship. Do you think you can handle yourself?"

He nodded. "I wouldn't want you flying in your current condition anyway. Someone needs to make sure these two stay out until we arrive on Coruscant."

He began to exit, but quickly spun around. He came back to me and placed two syringes with sedatives in my hand. "You never know if she'll try to kill you…"

I nodded, knowing that I'd probably have to sedate her anyway. The last thing I needed right now was to have another fight with Ahsoka.

I curled up against her, placing my hand on her chest. I just wanted to feel her heartbeat to make sure I didn't lose her. I _needed _her more than ever.

Once I realized how tired I was beginning to feel, I decided that sedating her might be a wise idea. I bit my lip as I leaned backwards to grab the syringe. I pressed the tip against Ahsoka's neck and, albeit painful for me to do, pressed down with my thumb.

Tears fell down my face and moistened the mattress, but I couldn't stop staring at her. My beautiful Ahsoka… _a Sith._ This wasn't the woman I had married almost three years ago.

"_Don't deny it, love. I can read you like an open book… and sense it, too._"

"_I'll talk to you later, Mr. Secretive._"

I chuckled. The entire memory played back in my head. I'd tickled her, laughing wildly before swooping her up into my arms to carry her into the bedroom. Everything from that moment forth had been _magical. _The entire wedding itself had been beautiful. Seeing Ahsoka's tears of happiness and the smile that never left her face gave me the indication that I wasn't making a mistake.

Marrying Ahsoka had been the most amazing thing I'd ever done.

I just wish that I could take back all of the stupid things I've done since that day. The pitiful arguments about parenting, the arguments in general, and the nights where we couldn't even face each other in bed were things that I wanted to take back.

I loved Ahsoka with all of my heart and if I ever lost her, I don't know what I'd do.

I gently stroked the side of her face, smiling sadly at her. I felt the marks on her beautiful skin and the bruises made me sick. Who could hurt something so precious?

How could I _allow_ someone to hurt her?

I closed my eyes, resting my hand on top of hers again.

She might not be _my _Ahsoka Skywalker, but I would do everything I could to make her mine again. I couldn't let that part of her die.

I would do everything…

I needed my wife back. I _needed _my little Ahsoka…


	25. Betrayal

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I carried Ahsoka off of the Nubian and watched Obi-Wan take Shmi directly to his quarters while I went to the Council chambers. I had commed Master Yoda, telling him to gather the other members of the Council.

Once I arrived, almost all of the seats were filled, with the exception of mine and Obi-Wan's.

Obi-Wan walked in behind me and Ahsoka began to stir in my arms. I walked into the center of the room, holding her. "Anakin?" she whispered. I could just feel the darkness emanating from her body and her voice.

Everyone in the room tensed up at the sound of her voice. She gripped my vest tightly, panicking. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

I didn't answer and she quickly kicked herself out of my arms. She took up her defensive stance and growled at me. I watched her sadly, unmoving.

"Anakin, why –"

"Because I'm _observing _you."

"Why?"

"I want to see how far gone you are."

"I _hate _you," she ground out slowly.

"I know you feel that way right now. Ahsoka, we're going to help you. Master Yoda, is there a way to extract the dark side from her?"

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "A possible solution, that is not. _Time_, it will take."

I sighed in frustration. She continued her low growl as she stared up at me. "You don't get it, _Master_," she sneered. I shuddered at the title. "You've taught me _everything _you know."

Invisible fingers gripped my neck, cutting off my oxygen. I didn't gasp _or _struggle. I relaxed my body and stared into her eyes. I watched the anger and hatred she felt towards me transition into _shock._

My chest tightened, but I didn't let it show.

She released me quickly and I began to breathe heavily.

She leapt towards me and I quickly jammed the other sedative into her arm. I stared into her eyes, her hatred burning me. "I… _hate…_ you…"

"I love you," I whispered before catching her limp form in my arms.

I heard Yoda sigh in the corner of the room. "Into asylum, she must go…"

"I'll take her there _myself._"

I carried her out of the chambers, feeling everyone's eyes on my back. I only injected a small portion of the sedative into her arm, so she'd wake up in a few minutes.

I walked up several stairs until I reached the upper part of the temple. As an unruly and adventurous Padawan, I had discovered this place. I kicked the steel door open and walked in, heading directly for the far end of the room.

Regret and sadness overwhelmed me, a lump forming in my throat as my heart sunk.

I shifted her into my left arm and pulled the chains down from the ceiling with the Force. I locked them around her wrists and placed her back against the wall. I secured her and, with the final lock's snap, her eyes opened.

I backed up quickly and she screamed in fury. "You _can't _do this to me!"

"It's only temporary," I whispered.

She spat at my face and I withdrew, wiping the spit with my flesh hand. My feelings _and _body were _frozen._ I had lost my will in this moment and I wasn't sure if I could survive this much longer. Yes, it was nice to have her _here _instead of in some temple where she was being tortured, but this was hard on me. I didn't want to see this side of her. She's always been my sweet, loving Ahsoka…

I turned around, beginning to leave. She screamed frantically, "Don't leave me here alone!"

I heard her attempt to break the chains, screaming when it didn't work out. She shouted, "You cannot keep me here!"

I looked over my shoulder and calmly said, "Just _watch._"

With that, I left. I walked all the way back to my dorm before I fell to pieces and _snapped._

Once that door closed behind me, the Anakin Skywalker everyone knew was _gone._ I was the broken shell of myself. All of my anger and sadness got the best of me.

I slammed my mechanical fist into a wall and random bursts of the Force exploded out of me, shaking objects around the room.

I vaguely heard the door hiss and footsteps quickly cross the room.

I was holding my head between my hands, cursing myself in Huttese. Tears were streaming down my face and my vision was blurred.

I felt small hands grab me gently. "Anakin," Satine's soothing voice whispered. She grabbed my shaking hands. "Anakin, try to relax. I'm no Jedi, but I can feel everything you're feeling. I'm sorry for your pain…"

I collapsed against her and she lowered us down to the floor, holding me against herself. She ran her fingers through my hair in a very soothing way. "It's all going to be okay," she whispered. "Anakin, you can't keep up the façade of calmness. You have a breaking point and you have feelings. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

Eventually, I think she gave up on me, but she still stuck around and held me like a mother would hold their child. She kept telling me that I would bring Ahsoka back to the light, but how could I possibly believe that?

My own wife _hated _me. This wasn't some stupid argument that could be remedied by really good and passionate sex or loving words. _This _was something really painful and I _can't _save someone that doesn't _want _to be saved…

"Anakin, is there anything you can think of that might help her?"

"I'm not sure," I whispered.

She wiped the remaining tears from my face as the door hissed. Padme entered and the apologetic look on her face really _shocked _me. "Ani, I'm sorry about Ahsoka. If I had known –"

"It's not your fault, Padme. I didn't think that everything was going to happen this way. Did you read my and Obi-Wan's report from Hoth?"

She nodded. "I did. I haven't been able to face you because that mission almost got you killed. I _sent _you to your death bed and didn't even realize it."

"I wish I had died…" I muttered, closing my eyes.

Satine lightly smacked my arm. "Don't you even start this again."

I slowly opened my eyes and half smiled at her. "You're a good big sister, Satine."

She ruffled my hair, laughing lightly. "I take care of my family. The Kenobis and Skywalkers will _always _be family."

She helped me up and hugged me tightly. "I'm going to get back to Obi now. You get some rest, _little one._"

"Not you, too," I laughed. She smiled and began to leave. "Satine, wait!"

She stopped in the doorway, glancing back at me curiously. "Thank you. Thank you for coming in here to talk to me. You have no idea how much that means to me."

She smiled warmly. "I'm always here for you."

"Thank you. Oh, and _congratulations_," I smiled.

She laughed. "I see Obi told you. He was so excited. Thank you, Anakin. Have a good night, my dear."

"You, too. Hey, I'll probably sneak in and get the kids once I clean up this… disaster," I said, glancing around at the disastrous room.

She nodded. "Sounds fine."

She walked out, leaving me alone with Padme. She immediately faced me sadly. "I am _beyond _sorry, Ani. I might hate her, but I never wished for this to happen."

"I know. I actually gave her some warning, but it still turned out the same. Kaimi and I saw visions of Ahsoka becoming a Sith…"

"And you weren't able to stop this from happening?"

She sounded overly critical and I was overly upset, so I decided to snap on her. "I was under _layers of ice!_ Do you think I had any power over her when I was _unconscious? _She thought I was _dead! _There was no way I could contact her to let her know that I was all right! Are you trying to pin this on me now?"

She stepped forward and placed a hand on my chest. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I said I read the report. I know what happened. I just wish I'd known about the visions. I could have kept Ahsoka from going."

"She would have gone anyway," I shrugged. "Soka usually gets her way in the end…"

"Just like you."

"What do you mean?"

"You're Anakin Skywalker. Everything works out for you. You got the almost perfect girl – even if I'm better – the perfect children, the perfect –"

"My life is _far _from perfect. Ahsoka and I are far from perfect. As for the kids, do you know what happened with Shmi while we were on Tatooine?"

"No?"

"She has Sith abilities."

"What?" she screamed, her eyes widening.

"Padme, it's –" I groaned loudly as an extreme amount of pain coursed through me. My head began to pound. I placed my fingers against my temples and felt a disturbance. "Something's wrong, we'd better get up there!"

She nodded and we both quickly ran out of my dorm, down several halls, and finally up the stairs.

The chains were missing from the wall and so was Ahsoka. "Blast," I muttered, out of breath.

Almost immediately, the door closed and a chain was tightened around my neck. This time, I gasped out of shock rather than pain. I was pulled backwards to see Ahsoka's evil smirk. "You're such a liar," she whispered. "You aren't real."

"That's correct, Ahsoka."

I gasped as she pulled back a little more, knocking me into her. "Dooku," I growled as he stepped forward from the shadows.

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I watched as my Master frowned down upon this clone. This wasn't Anakin. Anakin was dead on Hoth. There was no way he could have survived all of that ice in the avalanche.

I kicked his legs and he fell to his knees. "This apparition is a mere creation set to lure you back to them, Ahsoka. Your husband is _dead._"

"Don't listen to him!" he cried against the pressure of the chains on his neck.

Master stepped forward and kicked the _thing's _jaw. "Remove the chains for the moment, dearest," Master whispered to me.

I nodded and unwound the chain from its neck, allowing Master to do as he pleased. The thing tried to stand and fight despite its apparent weakness.

MagnaGuards entered from the windows above and stood around us. Master chuckled and turned away, motioning for me to follow. I did so as the MagnaGuards shoved their electrostaffs against the clone's back.

I turned to watch it fall to its knees and groan against the immense amount of pain it was going through. Its entire body was shaking with the electricity. It ground its teeth together and stared up at my Master. Its body arched up a bit and the MagnaGuards flew away from the spot, crashing against the walls. The clone sighed, attempting to catch its breath.

Master turned quickly and lifted his hand, shoving the _thing _against its back on the far wall where I had been imprisoned. He held his fingers out and began to close them slowly, suffocating the clone.

Master raised it higher and smiled at its struggle to breathe as his head was slammed against the wall once. Master began to shoot lightning from his fingertips, shocking the clone.

Its hand rose up in a futile attempt to stop the barrage of lightning. It screamed in agony, throwing its head from side to side. Its eyes were widened and I assumed it was from the pain. Finally, its screaming ceased and its eyes rolled backwards, its head drooping forward limply.

Master dropped him to the floor and sighed in disgust. "_Pathetic _excuse of a lifeform."

He turned to me and stroked my jaw lightly. "Don't you worry about _it _hurting you again, my dear. Once we arrive on Boz Pity, it will be dealt with severely. You can participate in its torture if you wish."

I smiled at him as the MagnaGuards lifted the clone from the floor. "It'll be my _pleasure._"


	26. Coruscant and Boz Pity

**POV: Padme Amidala**

I slammed my fists against the door leading into Ahsoka's cell. There was no way for me to get in. It felt like it had a deadbolt keeping it shut.

The first thing I'd heard that had sent chills up my spine was something Anakin said. "_Dooku._"

The evil Count himself had brainwashed Ahsoka and had captured Anakin. His agonizing cries that echoed through the hall almost sent me running, but I knew there had to be more than just tormenting Anakin within the temple.

"_Don't you worry about it hurting you again, my dear. Once we arrive on Boz Pity, it will be dealt with severely. You can participate in its torture if you wish._"

Boz Pity. That was where Dooku would take Ani. I spun around quickly and ran as fast as I possibly could until I reached Obi-Wan's quarters.

I began to pound frantically against the door until Obi-Wan appeared. "Padme? What's going on?"

"Ahsoka's escaped. Dooku is behind this all!"

He stared at me in shock, absorbing that information quickly. "Where's Anakin?"

"They're taking him to Boz Pity. We need to leave now!"

"We? Padme, I need you to stay here. You're the Empress. You can't just leave and expect everything to run smoothly. I'll gather a few Jedi and leave immediately."

I glared at him as Satine appeared beside him. "So the little one needs another rescue?" she smiled up at him. I wondered how she could smile in a time like this. Anakin had just been _tortured _again. His _wife _had kidnapped him with a _Sith Lord _and now they were headed to _Boz Pity._

Obi-Wan nodded and quickly pecked Satine's forehead. "I love you. Stay here. I'll come back soon."

She nodded as he began to dash down the hallway, alerting as many Jedi as he could via his comlink. Satine sighed beside me. I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "How are you so calm about this? Didn't you just –"

"I'm _not _calm about this, Padme. Anakin is like a brother to me because of his connection to Obi-Wan. If anything happens to him, it'll affect me as well. I need to be strong for Obi so he can focus on rescuing him."

"Why didn't you plead with him to allow you to go with him?"

"I'm no fighter, Padme. You of all people should understand that concept. Obi is the fighter. He's my hero and he's Anakin's hero, too. I'm more of a diplomat."

"I'm more of a diplomat myself, but I still carry a blaster. I'd take a fatal blast if it meant I could save Anakin's life. That's how much I love him!" The words had escaped my lips without thought.

She glared at me, her expression growing furious. "Do _not _try to pull him back. He's in love with Ahsoka and he's willing to die to save her. There's nothing in the galaxy that he wants more than her. You need to _accept _that and _move on._"

"You know that he tried to kill himself because of me, so –"

"Because you cheated on him, you bantha! No woman would treat a man like that if she truly loved him."

"I did love him! I just wanted more than him. He was too nice to me, but the other men offered better things that I couldn't resist."

She sighed in frustration. "So you would give up a good man for something that he would have given you had you asked? He was going to be your husband for Force sake! I'm not saying that you should attempt to get together with him again because that would be highly unwise, but I'm saying that what you did to him was wrong. You didn't deserve such a caring man in your life."

"Why are you taking his side in this? You haven't heard my side."

"Because I _know_ you, Padme. I've known you most of my life and I'm not blind to your arrogance and selfishness. Anakin was so down that he almost _willingly _took his life! You didn't care for him at all to consider the consequences he would suffer for your actions. I'm so glad he fell in love with Ahsoka, otherwise my little brother might not be here today."

"You know nothing of the relationship Anakin and I had. You take your snobby, little –"

"I know everything because Anakin opened himself up to me. He _trusts _me. Believe me, he doesn't want you and I don't believe he ever will again. He lost his faith in you. Ahsoka is his _light_. She brings him happiness even in dark times."

"They spend their time in the bedroom more than anywhere else. They've conceived two children and they don't care for them at all. I don't understand why they even took _my _daughter as their own when they only care about themselves."

What happened next shocked me beyond belief. Satine was always the compassionate diplomat, like she said. She would never hurt an innocent creature or blast someone that was holding her at blaster point.

She actually _hit _me. I fell back onto the floor and stared at her. "Don't you _ever _say that about them again. Anakin and Ahsoka are wonderful parents. They care about their children more than themselves. You're the one that doesn't care about your child, Padme. You gave Shmi up to her father and he took her in without hesitation. Why would a man that didn't care about his children take up his daughter almost immediately?"

I clenched my teeth together and stood up quickly, lurching towards Satine.

I was glad that I wasn't a Jedi. I might have actually considering joining the Sith with all of the anger and hatred I was feeling right now.

Satine Kryze had just accused me of not caring about my daughter and then she said Anakin was a _hero _for _my _daughter. She hadn't said that in those words, but it was inferred.

Anakin was no _hero._ He was damaged goods that were already expired.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My eyes fluttered open and I glanced around the room. I was being suspended in the air by Force bonds on my wrists and ankles. Where was I?

"Ah," a dark voice whispered. "You're awake."

I stared into the darkness, searching for her face. "Ahsoka, listen to – agh!" I screamed as I was electrocuted by a MagnaGuard's electrostaff.

"You clones think you can sway anyone's feelings. You're not my Anakin. My Anakin is dead. I know he is."

"Look… look at me. You would… would know if I… were lying. I… I can't lie… to you…" I breathed heavily as the pain began to subside.

She stepped forward from the shadows that engulfed her. She was hardly wearing any clothing, which was kind of nice for me, but… _disturbing _as well because these were _Sith _garments.

I stared into her golden eyes, wishing that I could make her see. How could she _not _know this was me?

Her hand raised and I thought for a moment that she was going to strike me. Her cool fingers slid up the side of my face, tracing the scar above and below my right eye. "Soka… if you don't… believe me… look at my neck…"

She gave me a very confused look, but did as I suggested. She tilted my head to the side and saw the bite mark she'd left there when she'd told me how worried she was about my dream coming true. I felt her fingers touch the mark and she gasped. "This… this can't be you. You're _dead!_" she screamed.

"It's me," I whispered. "I swear to you that it's me."

She pulled her hand away from me and walked behind me. I tried to look at her over my shoulder, but I felt her hands slip into my vest, fingers roaming the scars on my back. "No…" she whispered, once again pulling back.

She came back to stand in front of me. "_How?_"

"I can't explain it," I whispered. "I don't understand how I survived."

I saw her teeth grinding and, for a split second, I actually felt afraid. Her anger could consume her and this could very well be the official end of me. She hit the right side of my face with an extreme amount of force put into it.

I closed my eyes as my cheek began to burn. I pulled myself together and stared coldly into her empty eyes. "Are you _satisfied?_" I whispered through my teeth.

She pulled her wrist up until it was level with her chest. I saw a control panel on her glove and immediately stopped breathing. "_Not quite._"

"Ahsoka, no –" I managed to say before the screaming took over. Volts of electricity coursed through my body. I shut my eyes and felt like I was going to die.

I was actually _trying _to die. "Just kill me!" I shouted somewhere between screams.

The electricity ceased and I fell forward – figuratively. I was still suspended in the air, but my body drooped forward. I was breathing heavily as steam lifted from my clothes.

"Good," Dooku's voice boomed from the corner of the room. I was too exhausted to look up at him. I was bracing myself for another onslaught of electricity, but it never came.

I felt Ahsoka's fingers grab my chin and lift my face, forcing me to stare at her. I was ashamed because _tears _were falling from my eyes. I was displaying my weakness before the _Sith._ Her smile curved and her eyes narrowed. "You are weak."

"I'm stronger than you," I growled.

"It appears as though he has challenged you, my apprentice," Dooku chuckled. "How would you like to go about this? The controls you possess could instantly kill –"

"No. If he wants to challenge me, then so be it. Killing a defenseless prisoner wouldn't suffice. Let's show him the platform, shall we?"

Whatever _the platform _was, it sounded horrifying. She seemed too pleased by it and that _really _scared me. The last thing I wanted right now was to physically fight her. I just wanted her to kill me and be done with it, but she wouldn't do that. I could tell that part of _my _Ahsoka was still there, but this Ahsoka was overwhelming her.

The Force bonds were released and I collapsed against the stone floor. It was cold and felt nice. My body had been overheating from the electricity.

Ahsoka grabbed my vest and pulled me up. "Come on, _dearest._ Let's see what _power _you truly possess."

The MagnaGuards grabbed my arms and led me outside of this building. It appeared to be an extremely large and old temple.

After several minutes of walking through obstacles, I assumed we reached the platform. "What's so special about this?"

Ahsoka turned and smirked. "The setting changes with the mood. If you give up, the ground gives in. If you get angry, the weather will react."

"Oh."

The MagnaGuards shoved me forward and threw my lightsaber into my hand. I caught it and activated it almost instantly. She did the same were her red saber, smiling at me. "You might _assume _that you're the real Anakin, but I'm sure you don't have his skills."

"Let's dance, my love," I whispered, swinging my blade backwards before holding it between both of my hands. All of my remorse disappeared, leaving only my anger.

A force field surrounded us and we were locked within this small space. She smiled and stepped back. "Your move," she called out.

"Your _mistake._" I leapt forward and collided with her blade. I was putting the pressure on her and actually got her onto her back.

I had her in that position until she knocked me over her. I rolled forward into a standing position and spun around quickly, holding my saber in my mechanical hand.

I saw what she meant about the mood controlling the arena. Lightning flashed and rain began to pour down on us. The only sounds were our sizzling sabers and heavy breathing.

"I don't care how evil you've become and I don't care how this duel ends. I'll still love you with my dying breaths, Ahsoka," I whispered, holding my saber to the right.

I charged at her again.


	27. The Division of Unity

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I slammed Ahsoka down onto the ground, shoving the heel of my boot into her stomach. I lifted my foot for a moment to kick her lightsaber out of her hand and held my own inches above her chest. The rain made the saber flash a bit and I stared down at my hand in horror.

Was I really about to kill her? "Do it," she whispered, staring into my eyes. Her expression was nowhere close to being loving or afraid. She was _ready _to die.

I breathed heavily for a few moments before deactivating the saber and pulling away. "I can't kill you." I backed up, attaching my lightsaber to my belt. "I just can't…"

She pushed herself up a bit to stare at me, but then she rolled backwards and grabbed her lightsaber. "Ahsoka, please –"

"You might be weak, but _I _am _not!_" She ignited her blade and leapt forward, holding it between both of her hands as she flew through the air.

I snapped my lightsaber into my hands and blocked her at the last possible second. She swung her saber in a circular motion before colliding with mine again. All I could do was hold my saber in front of me because I couldn't swing. All of my fear came back. I _couldn't _do this anymore.

She swung again and completely missed me. She kept pushing forward and I kept backing up, trying to avoid the swings as best as I could. She pulled the saber over her shoulder and swung roughly, almost knocking mine out of my hands. She growled and kicked me in the stomach.

A large gust of oxygen flew out of me as I doubled over. I fell down to my knees, my saber falling away from me. "Hate is a strong feeling. I _hate _you."

I lifted my head to look up at her. "Hate is an empty emotion that takes too much effort."

"Finish him!" Dooku called out. I twisted to look at him. He was struggling against a shadowed figure with an azure blade. Though the figure was shadowed, I would know the presence anywhere.

"Obi-Wan," I sighed, smiling a little.

"Master!" Ahsoka shouted. She darted off towards the edge of the force field. She slammed her fists against it. There was no way out of here unless someone turned it off from the outside. She spun around and growled at me. "This is _your _fault!"

I pushed myself up quickly and did a back flip, landing quite a distance away from her. I pulled my saber into my hand as she charged me.

I watched Obi-Wan begin to overwhelm Dooku, but then I was forced to focus on the small figure coming at me. She slashed at my side and actually nicked my skin.

A small amount of blood began to drip, but I pretended that I couldn't feel it. She spun around in a circle and slashed my leg, hitting my knees in one motion. I was amazed that she wasn't trying to dismember me.

I fell backwards, my knees burning a little. The rain continued to soak us as the battle intensified.

I lay on my back, my eyes closed. I was breathing heavily and I heard her lightsaber come closer to me. I felt the heat above my neck. I sucked in one heavy breath and prepared for her strike.

When I felt her hesitation, I opened my eyes slowly. I could feel the conflict within her. Perhaps my Ahsoka was trying to stop this. "Ani…"

Her voice didn't sound dark, not even in the slightest. "Ahsoka?"

She deactivated the lightsaber and laid it down beside me. She collapsed onto my chest and I gasped. I wrapped my arms around her tightly. She started crying, holding onto my vest tightly. "Ani, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, hey," I whispered. "It's okay. I'm still alive. I'm right here. You're okay."

"No!" Dooku's voice boomed.

Ahsoka's head lifted and she turned to look at him quickly. She pushed herself off of me and grabbed my lightsaber with the Force. She pulled the red one into her hand and activated them both. "Soka, don't. He's too strong for you."

She turned to look at me sadly. "I can't let him get away with any of this. He's hurt you so much. So have I…"

"I don't care," I gasped, my knees burning intensely. "Soka –"

She deactivated the lightsabers and came back to me. She pressed a hand against my chest, her other going up to my hair. I felt her fingers running through my hair slowly. "I'm so sorry, Anakin. I tried to stop myself. I really did…"

I reached my hand up to stroke the side of her face. "I love you."

She leaned against my hand, closing her eyes. "You shouldn't…"

"I _do._ I'll always love you."

She opened her sad blue eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks. The rain poured heavier with her sadness. She leaned down and pressed her lips against mine. I put my hands on her shoulders for a moment before placing one behind her neck and the other on her rear lek. I closed my eyes and deepened the kiss.

After a minute, she pulled away and screamed. I opened my eyes and grabbed her hands. "Ahsoka! Look at me!"

"She's… she's back!" she shouted between screams. I forced myself into a sitting position. I put my hands on her waist, staring at her face. Her eyes were closed, teeth clenched. Her hands flew out and grabbed my shoulders, nails digging into my skin.

"Don't let her take you, Ahsoka. You can do it. I know you can," I whispered quickly. She began to gasp and I panicked. "Ahsoka, come on."

I didn't even care about the pain I was feeling physically. The emotional pain overwhelmed me. I needed her to push the dark Ahsoka out. _My _Ahsoka was here and she needed to _stay _here.

The force field weakened and finally disappeared, taking the weather with it. Ahsoka's screams got louder and Obi-Wan dashed across the platform. He stood a distance away, watching helplessly.

Finally, Ahsoka's screaming ceased and she was calmed. Her eyes were still closed and her lips formed a tight line. "Ahsoka?"

Before she said anything, Obi-Wan and I were flung away from her. I landed in a standing position and skidded across the wet platform. Obi-Wan landed on his back on the opposite side of the platform. I glanced behind him to see that Dooku had escaped.

I quickly threw my hand forward and pulled my lightsaber towards me. It rattled for a moment before snapping off of her belt to float through the air.

She opened her eyes. _Gold._ I felt my heart sink. "Ahsoka."

"I'll kill you!" she screamed, activating the blood red weapon. She jumped into the air, landing behind me.

I rolled out of the way to avoid her swing. She stood there, smirking at me. "You can't lie to me anymore."

I held my saber between my hands and continued to back up until Obi-Wan joined me. "_Two _Jedi. Finally," she laughed. "_A challenge._"

I glanced at Obi-Wan. He was hurt by the fact that we'd both be fighting Ahsoka, but he was determined to help me get her back. "I'm sorry," I whispered to him.

"We can bring her back. Don't feel sorry, little one."

We both stared at Ahsoka, waiting for her to make the first move. She looked like she was hesitating again. She screamed and leapt forward, slamming her saber against Obi-Wan's first.

I backed up, wishing he would do something that would stop her. There was nothing I could do because I was incapable of harming her. Lightning shot out of her fingers and crashed against my chest. I threw my lightsaber towards Obi-Wan and he caught it.

He was now dual-wielding our lightsabers, fighting Ahsoka. I watched him spin continuously to avoid her swings. He seemed better equipped for evasive maneuvers, whereas I was always the one with direct actions.

Lightning crashed against me again and I groaned in pain, shutting my eyes and clenching my teeth tightly. I found myself wishing that I could just die already. Wasn't it enough that I had to watch her suffer because of herself? That was beyond painful and then my physical pain came up in second place.

I heard myself whispering, "_Kill _me…" over and over though I hadn't thought about saying it.

The lightning stopped and so did the sound of lightsabers clashing against each other. I felt hands put pressure on my left side and knees. I cried out in agony. "Anakin, Ahsoka escaped. I need to get you back to Coruscant. You need medical attention immediately."

The medics could only repair the external damage done to me. There was nothing that could fix the way I felt _or _my heart. "You… you let her go?"

"There's nothing I can do. I don't want to hurt her because that will hurt you. I brought a few Jedi with me. They should stop her and Dooku. You're injured and in need of a night in the bacta."

"No," I gasped. "No bacta."

He stared at me like I had just gone crazy. I heard an explosion and he glanced up into the sky. "That didn't sound too good."

He pulled me up, draping my left arm over his shoulders. His left hand grabbed my wrist and he helped me limp away from the platform.

It took a few minutes, but when we arrived at the front of the temple, he gasped. He let go of me and we both ran – I somewhat ran – towards the edge of a cliff. Fire was at the bottom, smoke coming up towards us. "I assume that's your ship? Looks like they did a good job," I said sarcastically.

He glanced past me and pointed. "There's an extra ship. Come on."

He started running and I did my best to keep up with him despite the pain in my knees. We got onto the ship.

I sat down in the cockpit, attempting to figure out the controls. They actually weren't that hard to figure out, but my vision was a bit foggy. I leaned forward, resting my elbow on my leg. I held my head in my hand and closed my eyes, breathing slowly. My stomach was beginning to churn as I smelled my own blood. "Are you all right?"

I shook my head, breathing through my mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick," I whispered.

He rubbed my back. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. You fly. I'm going to lie down."

"On the floor?"

I nodded, standing up. He held me and knelt down with me until I was on the floor. I smiled at him. "Thanks, big brother."

"I'm just making sure you're okay."

"I'll be fine," I whispered, closing my eyes. I felt his eyes on me a little longer, but then he decided that he should probably get back to flying the ship.

I felt the ship jump into hyperspace and I heard him mumbling things under his breath. I couldn't comprehend what he was saying, but I had a feeling that it was directed towards either Ahsoka or Dooku. I'd prefer to think he was insulting Dooku.

For that brief moment on the platform, my Ahsoka had actually come back. She had kissed me and talked to me. "_I love you._"

"_You shouldn't…_"

How could she possibly think that I shouldn't love her? There's nothing in this galaxy that could ever stop me from loving her. She was my wife, the mother of my children, and, most importantly, my soul mate. If something happened to her, that something would kill me.

If Ahsoka became one with the Force, I wouldn't be able to function. She would take my soul with her into the afterlife.

I'd never be the same without her.


	28. Connections

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

It's been a few weeks since I last _physically _saw Ahsoka. I've seen her all over the HoloNet. None of the reports were ever positive though.

Villages were decimated, people murdered…

There was nothing I could do about it because she was always gone long before the report was made. I've spent all of my downtime searching for some pattern.

Obi-Wan and Satine think I've gone crazy so they took the kids into their dorm. Who knows? Maybe I have gone crazy. My wife was a Sith and she was doing terrible things. I felt powerless and weak, but that was because I couldn't go after her.

I tried to track her down a few times, but, so far, I'd failed.

I was extremely upset with myself because I realized about a week and a half ago how much I'd been neglecting my children. Cayden's first word was _Obi._

He was now roughly eight and a half months old and his first word was Obi. That just goes to show how much of a horrible parent I am. If his first word had been something relating to Ahsoka, I might've been a little more excited, but it had been related to Obi-Wan.

I sat in a chair and pulled my knees up to my chest. They were still somewhat injured, but that had been because I didn't want them to heal. I wanted them to be there as a reminder that I'd failed to save Ahsoka.

I glanced at the bed on the other side of the room. It had been left that way since the last time Ahsoka and I slept in it together. I couldn't bring myself to sleep in it because I knew her scent was on it.

My comlink beeped across the room. I sighed and levitated it into my hand. "Yes?"

"_Master Skywalker, you're needed in the Council chambers._"

"Okay."

I cut the connection and forced myself to stand up. _Master Skywalker. General Skywalker. Grand Master._ Those words had been floating through my head lately.

I'd failed as a Master. I'd failed as a war General. I'd failed as a Grand Master.

Nothing I did held balance in the galaxy. My emotions were tearing me apart from the inside out and people were beginning to notice.

I forced myself to walk across the floor and out of the dorm.

_Raid on Utapau. Massacre on Nubia. Airstrike on Alderaan. Corellian Carnage._

Those were the headlines of the articles I'd read on the HoloNet. All reports involved a female Togruta slaughtering countless people on those planets. I needed some pattern to figure out where she'd strike next.

I stopped and closed my eyes, envisioning the map of the galaxy in my head. I'd memorized it because I'd wanted to visit every planet before I died.

She obviously went from Boz Pity to Utpau. Both were a short distance away from each other. To get into Nubia, Ahsoka would have to come into the inner core of the galaxy. Alderaan and Corellia were within the inner core as well.

My eyes snapped open. _Coruscant._

I darted towards the Council chambers, bursting through the doors. "Master Skywalker?" Yoda greeted, staring at me with a confused expression. "All right, everything is?"

"Coruscant is the next planet," I gasped. "She's coming to Coruscant."

Obi-Wan stood up as my eyes met his. "Are you sure, Anakin? I thought you told me that you couldn't determine a connection between the attacks."

I explained the theory to them and I received several thoughtful glances. "Right, you might be…"

I took my seat and calmed myself, watching the rest of the Council. Obi-Wan sat with his left leg crossed over the right while stroking his beards. Yoda stared at the floor like he was asking it for all the answers. Plo was mumbling things in the corner, almost mirroring Obi-Wan's actions.

"What do we do then?" Plo spoke up.

An unwanted silence filled the room. I held my head in my hands, trying to think of something that might help us. Through the other attacks, I could see that when Ahsoka wanted to destroy everything the stood in her way, she would make sure it happened.

"I want Jedi stationed all over the planet," I whispered, lifting my head. "Everyone must be ready to take on Sith. I don't want Padawans or younglings involved, so do _not _bring them along with us. My daughter won't be joining this battle, so I intend to keep to my word. We need to do everything and anything to stop her. Ahsoka and the Sith _need _to be stopped."

I glanced around the room, watching the members nodding. "Dismissed."

Everyone stood and began to exit the room. Obi-Wan came over to me. "I haven't seen very much of you lately. Actually, the last time I saw you was almost two weeks ago. I'm really sorry about Cayden. You know I never meant for his first word to be –"

"I don't care about that," I muttered. "It made me realize that I'm not fit to be his father." I lifted my head to look up at him. "I can't take this anymore. We've tried to stop Ahsoka before, but this has to be the end of it all. We need to _kill _her."

"You can't be serious."

I frowned and closed my eyes. "I'm so serious."

"Anakin, do you know how much that will hurt you?"

"Yes," I whispered, nodding. "I trust that you'll lock me up in an asylum or put me through carbon freezing and take care of the children."

"I can't –"

"It's what you need to do. I can't let Ahsoka live like this. I can't live like this. Without her, I'm dead. I'm going to be the one to kill her, Obi-Wan. I need to end this myself."

He stared at me sadly, nodding slowly. I stood up and walked out of the chambers.

I didn't look back as I started running towards Padme's quarters. I knocked on the door pretty hard until she opened it. "Anakin, what's going on?"

She pulled me into her dorm, holding my hand. "Have you heard anything on the HoloNet, Ani?"

I nodded. "She's on her way here. Padme, I need to make sure you're safe. I'm sure there's a part of her that will want to hurt you, but I won't let that happen."

She nodded and stepped closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I'm going to kill her," I said, pain seeping into my voice.

She pulled back to stare up into my eyes. "Can you do that?"

"I have to."

Her hand reached up and stroked my cheek slowly. I closed my eyes and leaned against it. "I miss her, but I need to do this. She doesn't want to live like this."

"What about you? How are you going to live without her?"

"I've given Obi-Wan options for me."

I opened my eyes as both of her hands were placed on either side of my face. "Don't do this to yourself, Ani. She needs you, but you need her. Don't kill her. There has to be something else you haven't tried yet."

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I stared at her. "There's _nothing _I can do for her. I've tried everything I can."

Padme pulled my face closer to hers and pressed her lips against mine. The tears slid down my face as our lips moved slowly. Her fingers wove through my hair and I stood with my arms at my sides, hands balled into fists.

She pulled away slowly and stared at me. "I'm going to help you bring her back. That kiss held all of my emotion, Anakin. I can't tear you apart anymore. I'll always love you, but it's time that I realize you'll never be mine."

She kissed me one more time before smiling at me. "I'll lure her out for you."

"Padme…"

"I love you enough to want you to be happy," she whispered, rubbing my chest. "Ahsoka is everything to you. If she hadn't found you, you wouldn't be here. I'd be visiting your grave every year…"

"Would you really?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Your death would have been _my _fault. I've never drawn someone to the edge and I felt horrible about making you go that far. I loved you, Anakin. I really did. I just didn't know how to tell you the right way. Those men… they weren't like you."

I hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "I knew that."

"That I loved you or that they weren't like you?"

"I knew that they weren't like me. They gave you things that were costly and beautiful. They didn't tell you that _you _were beautiful, that _you _were their star, or that _you _were the only one they dreamed of spending their life with…"

She closed her eyes and smiled. "That's everything I loved to hear and you were the only one to give that to me. I loved you for you because that's all you could be. You weren't the type to buy things to buy my affection. You were the best and kindest man in the galaxy."

I put my hands on either side of her face and rubbed her cheeks with my thumbs. "I tried to be the best I could. I'm not perfect, but I try to make people happy."

She opened her eyes. "You don't have to try."

I leaned down and kissed her slowly. She reached up and pulled my flesh hand from her face, holding it in her hand.

I felt myself moving forward and she moved backwards. My body collapsed on top of hers and her hands wrapped around me, rubbing my back. I pulled back, breaking the kiss. "What's wrong with us?"

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

I sighed and pushed myself off of her. I sat at the end of the bed, holding my head in my hands. "I'm sorry."

She leaned against me. "One time was enough for us both, Anakin. Haven't you ever considered that _we _might be different now? I mean, Ahsoka and Kaydus –"

"_That _doesn't count!" I shouted, glaring at her. "He _violated _her! I couldn't stop that from happening! I won't cheat on her because of something that was done to her!"

I was now standing in front of the door. Padme's hands rubbed my back slowly. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Anakin."

I looked at her over my shoulder. "One time was _enough_ for me. I can't do that to myself _or _to Ahsoka. She's my wife, regardless of what's going on right now, and I love her so much. No matter how much hurt I feel after I kill her, I'll never have sex with you again."

With that said, I stormed out of the room.

I balled my hands into fists and slammed them against a wall, closing my eyes. My knuckles on my flesh hand snapped, but I didn't care. I breathed slowly through my mouth. "Idiot," I growled at myself.

My comlink began to beep and I took my time, deciding whether or not I wanted to answer the call. After numerous beeps, I sighed. I pressed the button. "Skywalker," I said, frowning at the last name that I shared with Ahsoka. Perhaps I should change it to something else now…

All I heard from the other end was static. "Hello?"

I heard faint breathing and more static. "Hello?" I asked again. "Who is this?"

I panicked a little. I couldn't identify the person through their breathing. What if this was the same thing Jaele pulled on us before? He was tracking us through a transmission.

The static began to clear and I could hear small screams. Whoever it was sounded like they were being strangled or tortured. I was tempted to speak, but that might get the person into more trouble. The static finally cleared.

"_Anakin, it's me._"


	29. Her Return

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I practically collapsed against the wall. "Ahsoka? Is this really you?"

"_Yes,_" she gasped. "_It's me, Ani. I need you to do something for me._"

"Anything."

"_We're heading for Coruscant. My dark side will search for you. I need you to kill me._"

I closed my eyes. "I know. I have to."

"_I'll love you even more if you put me out of this misery. I can't bear watching myself destroy lives… I can't watch you fall further down into depression, Anakin. I love you too much and I need this…_"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you," I whispered.

"_You have saved me._"

"This is how I wanted to save you. Ahsoka, when I take your life, I'm going to take mine as well. I can't do this without you. I just can't…"

"_Don't do that to yourself, Ani, please. The children need you. Don't do this to them…_"

"They need you, too!" I shouted. "But I have to kill you! Without you, there is no me!"

"_I wish I could have one more loving moment with you. I just want you to hold me. I want you to kiss me and tell me how much you love me…_"

"I'd do it if I could. You know that…"

"_I know, Ani. I miss your warmth. I'm sorry that it's going to end this way…_"

"I'll always love you, Ahsoka. You're the only one for me. Don't you ever forget that."

"_Do you think we could meet before the battle?_"

"Just tell me when and where," I whispered desperately.

"_Meet me in Dex's Diner. Make sure you've got a robe on. Be there in three hours, my love._"

"I'll be there, Soka."

"_I can't wait to see you. I love you, Ani. I love you so much._"

"I love you just as much, Ahsoka. _Always._"

"_I have to go_," she whispered as the static returned.

Within moments, the connection was severed and I gasped. I hadn't realized until now that my heart was beating rapidly, threatening to burst out of my chest. Was _my _Ahsoka back? Perhaps this was my _one _chance to save her.

I quickly ran back to my dorm.

I _would _save her and I knew just how to accomplish that…

**Three hours later.**

I sat in Dex's diner for almost ten minutes with my hood over my head and my lightsaber attached to my belt. I kept waiting for my robed Togruta to enter and I was beginning to lose hope.

The door opened suddenly and I saw her. I watched her hooded eyes meet mine – the _blue _eyes that I'd missed and loved – and her smile widen as she walked towards me.

She scooted into the booth, sliding up against me. I grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. I turned to kiss her, taking her beautiful, warm lips with mine. Her hands lifted to my neck, rubbing my skin slowly. "Ani, you look terrible," she whispered when we separated for air.

The parts of her lekku that I could actually see almost made me say the same thing. I lifted my hand to gently lift her lek out of the robe. I rubbed the tip of it with my thumb, taking in all of the bruises and scratches that lined her beautiful stripes. "What's he doing to you?"

"That doesn't matter," she said quickly, grabbing my hand. "What _does _matter is that we're together again. I've wanted to taste you, to feel you…"

I closed my eyes, placing my mechanical hand behind her rear lek. I pulled her closer for another passionate kiss. She moaned into my mouth and rubbed my chest. "I'm all yours, Soka. I'm not going to leave you."

"Anakin…"

"Ahsoka."

She sighed, casting her gaze down to my chest. "I miss seeing your skin. You're always covered up in that tunic now."

"How do you know that?"

"Ani, I have my ways of seeing you even if you don't know it. I've missed you for weeks and earlier was the first time I was able to speak with you. Dooku doesn't know that I'm with you. I told him I was going to scout out a safe location for the fleet to land."

"What do you mean?"

"We've made progress with the Togrutas and Twi'leks. My dark side was able to convince them to join the Separatists."

I sighed and leaned against the table, resting my head on my crossed arms. Her head rested on my shoulder, her lips pressing against my neck slowly. "I'm sorry, Ani. I really, truly am. I can't control the dark side of myself."

She rubbed my back, forming patterns. "I know that, love," I mumbled. I lifted my head, staring up at her. "I'd never blame you for anything."

"Anakin, I want to be alone with you."

"We are alone," I said, raising my left eyebrow.

"Come with me," she whispered. She scooted out of the booth, tugging on my hand. I didn't hesitate to follow her. The last thing I wanted right now was to leave her. She led me out of the diner and down a few buildings until we reached an old and abandoned apartment.

She led me inside, turning every now and then to make sure I was still with her. We made it to the bottom of the stairway and turned around to place her hands on my shoulders. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered, kissing her lips. "I'm assuming that there's a bed upstairs?"

She smiled and her eyes lit up. "I'll take that as a yes."

"If this is the last time we'll see each other this way, I want it to be special."

She led me up the stairs by the hand slowly. She let go of me and walked over to the bed. She crawled across it, lying on her back in the center of it. "Are you coming or am I going to lie here alone?"

I smiled and crawled across the bed until I was on top of her. I kissed her slowly, rubbing her right lek slowly.

Once we separated, she frowned. I saw the crystal tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry for putting you through so much pain. _This _is where you can take all of your anger out on me, Ani."

I kissed her jaw. "I don't care about the pain. I love you. I'll always love you. I'm not angry with you, Soka."

"Prove it," she whispered.

I kissed her lips passionately, putting everything into it. Clothes were discarded and I proved that I loved her. I proved that I loved her after everything. I made sure she knew that I wasn't mad at her. I didn't blame her for anything. If I had to pin the blame on someone, it was myself.

If we hadn't gotten together, we wouldn't have had Kaimi, and I would be the only one facing the darkness because it would have died with me.

She moaned my name over and over, digging her nails into my shoulders.

We finally stopped after half an hour. I broke down and collapsed next to her. "I can't do this," I gasped. "I can't kill you."

"You have to."

"No. I can't let you go. I love you too much. I don't want to end this here."

She started to silently cry as I pressed my lips against hers, moving against hers fiercely. Slowly, I began to suck the darkness out of her. My hands roamed all over her body, distracting her temporarily.

Once I felt more of the light side in her, I stopped. I'd been able to split the darkness between us. It was just enough for us both to contain without falling to the dark side. "I _can't believe _you."

I buried my face into her neck. "I can't let you go," I whispered angrily, planting kisses along her jaw line. "I'm selfish. I _need _you."

She stroked the side of my face. "You aren't selfish, Ani."

After we kissed for a few more minutes, we got up and got dressed. I held her in my arms by the doorway. I kissed her montrals, rubbing her rear lek slowly. "Take your lightsaber out of your pants, Mr. Skywalker," she chuckled.

"I'll let you take it out later," I whispered, smiling. "I just want to hold you _forever._"

She lifted her face up and I leaned down to kiss her again. Her arms wound around my neck, fingers running through my hair.

"Ani," she whispered. "We need to get back to the temple. We need to warn them of the massive attack that's on its way here. It'll be here within days."

I nodded slowly. "My speeder is back at the diner."

"Come on, love," she whispered, tugging me out of the apartment.

We walked hand in hand back to the diner and hopped into the speeder. Even then I didn't let go of her hand. I rubbed her skin with my thumb, smiling at her every now and then. "I'm glad to have you back, Ahsoka."

"I'm glad to be back with you. Life isn't the same when I'm not with you."

"Trust me," I whispered. "I know."

She pulled her legs up onto the seat and scooted closer to me, allowing me to drape my arm over her shoulders. She held my hand that hung down from her shoulder. I smiled as she closed her eyes. "I don't want to leave you ever again…"

"It'll be difficult for that to happen this time, I assure you."

"Good," she whispered, smiling.

I flew through the Coruscant traffic without a problem. Luckily there hadn't been very much. Everyone stayed in their homes nowadays because of all the war commotion going on. The Jedi and Senators were the only ones out and about most of the time.

I landed the speeder in the lot and hopped out. Ahsoka wasn't too far behind me. I hugged her tightly before we ran into the temple.

We arrived in the empty chambers and I commed the other members. "This is Skywalker. I'm calling for an emergency meeting. I need you all to arrive immediately."

I took my seat after I finished speaking with everyone. Ahsoka stood behind me with her hands on my shoulders. "I need to get you a seat in here," I whispered, looking up at her.

She leaned down and kissed me, rubbing my jaw with her thumbs. "I can wait for that day. For now, I'd rather stand behind you."

"Why not stand in front of me?" I teased, smirking. She chuckled and ran her fingers through my hair.

Obi-Wan was the first to enter. He immediately paused and pulled his lightsaber out, igniting it. "Anakin –"

I stood up quickly, putting my hand on Ahsoka's stomach. "She's with me, Obi-Wan. This is _my _Ahsoka. I'm sure of it."

"How?"

I shook my head, taking my seat again as he calmed down. "I'll tell you everything later."

The rest of the members entered, staring at Ahsoka in either distaste or shock. You would think that she'd grown an extra limb or something. I held her hand on my shoulder, staring up at her face. She was frowning deeply at me, her eyes dulling with her feelings.

I rubbed her hand and smiled weakly at her. "You're not unwelcomed here. As long as I'm here, you're welcome." I focused on the rest of the Council. I heard Ahsoka's low growl as one of the men sneered at her. "All right, that's _enough_!" I shouted. "She's with us and she has a report to share." I glanced up at her. "The floor is _yours_, darling."

She stepped forward and turned to face me, her robe briefly swinging at her sides. "_You're the only one that I can look at without being judged_," she whispered through our bond.

I smiled warmly at her. "I'd never judge you. Well, except for –"

"_Just remember that I'm a better cook than you are, Ani._"

I chuckled internally. "Even if your foods are _interesting_, you are a wonderful cook."

She spoke aloud for everyone to hear. "The Twi'leks and Togrutas are with Dooku and the Separatists. They are on their way here to destroy us and recapture Coruscant." She pulled out a holomap and levitated it into my hands. "These are the locations of all our outposts and our battle plans are embedded in there as well."

"Little Soka," Plo spoke up. "When will they arrive?"

"In a matter of days. Dooku has given the two races ultimate weapons. We need to be prepared now. The Senate building will be the first to fall and then the temple."


	30. Even in War

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"He's getting so big…"

I reached over Cayden's sleeping form to rub her stomach. "And to think that he was right here almost a year ago."

"How much have I missed?"

"He said his first word."

Her eyes lit up. "What did he say?"

"_Obi._"

"Really?" she asked, frowning.

I nodded slowly, watching her face. Tears slid down her cheeks. I pushed myself up and scooped Cayden into my arms. I placed him in his crib and tucked him in.

I turned and got back onto the bed. I put my hand on her cheek, wiping the tears away. "We're terrible parents, aren't we?" she whispered.

"We've been through a lot. Maybe we shouldn't have come back…" I trailed off. "Maybe we should have focused on _us _instead of _this._"

She scooted closer, silently begging me to hold her. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, resting my chin in the dip between her montrals. She began to cry really hard. "Don't cry, sweetheart…"

She continued to cry for a few moments before wiping the tears away. "I'm sorry, Ani. I'm overreacting…"

I moved my head down to kiss her lek. "Don't apologize either, love. We can start over. We can spend as much time with the kids as we can. Maybe his second word will be _mama._"

"I want his second word to be _dada_," she laughed through her tears, kissing my chest.

"We'll see what he says then," I whispered, smiling at her. I closed my eyes as I leaned forward to kiss her slowly.

"I love you, Anakin," she whispered afterward, her eyes still closed.

"As I love you, my dear." She cringed. "Soka, what's wrong?"

"That's… what Dooku said to me. He called me… _his _dear…"

I rubbed her arm lightly. "I won't say it again if you don't want me to. I'm sorry, love."

She smiled, rubbing my chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You've changed my life so much in the last few years."

"For better or for worse?"

"Definitely for better. If you made my life worse, why would I want to stay with you? You've given me beautiful children and _so _much love."

"I'm trying my best to make you happy," I whispered, staring into her eyes that were slowly opening.

"You don't have to _try._ You _always _make me happy."

Cayden whimpered in his crib before bursting into full crying mode. I jumped up and grabbed him. I brought him back to the bed and laid him down between us. He snuggled up against me and Ahsoka giggled. "Even the baby knows you're warm."

I lay back on the pillows, holding Cayden against my side. I reached over to rub her cheek. "You're beautiful."

She sat up and moved her face towards me. Her cool lips pressed against mine. I licked her lips and she moaned. I smiled. "Ani…"

"Once I get Cayden back into his crib," I whispered.

Her hand rubbed my shoulder for a minute before travelling further down my body. "Your lightsaber's back," she giggled.

"It's always there when you're around."

She gently took Cayden from me and put him back into his crib.

"Come here, Mrs. Skywalker," I commanded, smiling at her. A beautiful smirk danced across her lips as she crawled on top of me.

**Later.**

I found myself walking through hallway after hallway, carrying Cayden. I finally sat down in a lounge and sang my mother's song quietly.

Padme's light footsteps came into the room. I had sensed her before she was near. "Can I talk to you?"

I nodded silently and she sat down beside me. "I heard that she came back. Anakin, can you let her go? I mean, she's put you through so much. Are you going to leave her?"

"_Never_," I growled.

"What about the kiss we shared? Did that mean _anything _to you?"

"I was only desperate for some form of affection, so no. The kiss meant nothing to me."

"How could it _not?_"

"Regardless of the person I kiss, my heart will always be for Ahsoka."

"Why wouldn't you sleep with me? That's a _better _way of showing how much you love someone. It's such a wonderful thing, Anakin. Maybe you should give me a second chance…"

"I don't _love _you. We're somewhat connected because of Shmi, but you and I, _we_…" I trailed off. "We have nothing compared to what Ahsoka and I have. I don't sleep around."

"So you'll kiss around?" Her voice had accusation laced into it. I felt the presence attempting to hide itself in the hallway.

"Padme, we were together years ago. That kiss was the end of _us._ I've felt nothing for you since I saw Ahsoka on Christophsis."

"You can't _not _sleep with me! You're a man and we _do _have something!"

Her shouting woke Cayden up. I held him against my chest and stood up. "I won't sleep with you because I'm a man! I'm not like _you!_ I can't cheat and hope that everything will be all right! I was torn apart when Ahsoka _accused _me of cheating on her. Imagine how difficult it would be for me to hide something like _that _from her!"

"It was really easy to hide from you. You're too trusting of _everyone._"

I bit my tongue to keep the barrage of profanities inside. Cayden continued to cry in my arms. "Ahsoka," I shouted, calling out to her in the corridor. "Come get him."

Padme spun around as Ahsoka hesitantly stepped around the corner and entered. She bit her lip, not wanting to look me in the eyes. Once Cayden was in her arms, I pulled her chin up and kissed her. "I love _you._ I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

"I'm –"

"_Don't_," I whispered. I kissed her again. "Go settle him down."

She nodded. I saw the tears forming as she turned away.

"I trust the people I love," I said, enunciating every word. "I _loved _you once upon a time. I didn't see any reason _not _to trust you until you told me that you were cheating on me. Ahsoka hasn't done _anything _to hurt my trust in her. We've argued about things, but I don't stop loving her. I trust her because neither of us function normally without the other.

"She slept with Obi-Wan. Satine told me!"

"The four of us sorted everything out."

"Oh? So you trust her even if –"

"Cayden looks like _me!_ Why would he look like me if he belonged to Obi-Wan?"

"Maybe you're stupid."

"Oh, well! Call me what you will because I _really _don't care. You've been trying to break me and Ahsoka up since you found out about us."

"Sleep with me."

I groaned in frustration and stormed past her, running.

I quickly and quietly entered the bedroom. Cayden was in his crib and Ahsoka was on the edge of the bed –crying. I knelt down in front of her slowly.

I grabbed her hands and stared up at her face. I hated to see her cry. I lifted my mechanical hand to her cheek. "Why are you crying, love?" I whispered, finally calming down.

"I upset you…"

"Why do you think that?"

Her eyes met mine. "I came to see you and I listened in on your conversation with her…"

"I don't care if you heard it. I wish you would have come in."

"Did you really kiss her?"

"I won't lie to you. I kissed her, but there was _nothing _there."

"Why did you kiss her?"

"I missed you. I wanted to kiss _you._ I was talking to her about having to kill you. She kissed me and I lost the small amount of control that I had. I would understand if you didn't want me around –"

She jumped onto me and slammed me onto my back. "I don't care about a _kiss. _At least you didn't do something you shouldn't have."

"_You _are the only one I'll share _that _kind of love with."

"Good. Just… don't kiss her again. I don't like _sharing you._"

"You'll never have to share me."

"I would certainly hope not," she smiled.

My comlink was beeping on the nightstand. I levitated it into my hand. "Skywalker."

"_Anakin, ten cruisers just jumped out of hyperspace above us._"

We both jumped up and quickly switched our clothes. I was in my Jedi vestments and Ahsoka was in her… _Sith _ones.

Satine ran in, not bothering to knock. That was all right with me considering the circumstances. "I'll watch the children. You two are needed elsewhere."

We nodded and ran past her. We ran down to the chambers to meet with the bickering Masters and Knights. "Master Skywalker –"

I cut the Knight off. "What's the status?" Ahsoka held onto me, rubbing my stomach. I wrapped my arm around her.

"Cody and a battalion of clones are moving as we speak. Shuttles are on their way. We've counted at least one hundred shuttles capable of holding roughly thirty men," Obi-Wan said quickly.

"Everyone stay in _groups_. No one can take down that many people _alone._" I looked down at Ahsoka. "You stay with _me_," I whispered.

She nodded, realizing that I wanted to be the only one responsible for her safety.

Within moments, the entire Jedi temple was in motion. Knights and Masters were trying to get Padme, Satine, the children, and all of the Padawans into a safe room. Most of the Padawans and younglings fought us, but we managed to secure them all. Satine and Padme were given blasters while the Padawans – including Shmi – had their lightsabers.

I pried Ahsoka away from the room, gently backing her into a wall. "Hey, look at me," I whispered, rubbing her cheek slowly.

After hesitating for a moment, she looked at me. "We're going to come back."

"Anakin, the odds are thirty to one. We _aren't _coming back."

"Don't you start," I whispered fiercely. "We've come _this _far. This is _not _the end of us. Stay with me and we'll be fine. I've got your back."

"Just like old times."

"Just like old times," I repeated, smiling at her. I gently pulled her face closer to mine. "I love you," I whispered before kissing her.

My eyes roamed down her body, staring at the clothes that exposed her stomach, back, and the sides of her legs. After this, I'd buy her something _nice._ I ran my hand down her midsection, feeling her skin. "Ani…"

She wrapped her arms around me tightly. "We _are _coming back. I _know _I'm right."

"You can't _know _that you're right," she said, rolling her eyes.

"All right, let's make a deal, Snips. If I'm right – which I will be – you're on your knees for me _all night._ If you're right, I'll do anything _you _want."

"If I'm right, we're dead!" she laughed.

"Well, I'm going to win anyway, so I hope your knees can hold out."

She smacked my chest playfully and rolled her eyes again. "You already know they can."

I smiled as she ran past me. I ran after her with my saber hilt in hand. We made it outside of the temple to see many of our people on the ground already. The nice thing was that the opposing side had more casualties.

"Baby," I laughed, taking her hand. "I _win._"

"Shut up, Skyguy," she laughed. She squeezed my hand once before sprinting down the stairs to leap into the fight.

I quickly followed her. We deflected shots from the Twi'leks and eventually ended up back to back. We managed to slice up a few Togrutas, much to Ahsoka's internal disdain.

I saw Ahsoka's stamina beginning to deteriorate. I swung around, pressing my front against her back. I started deflecting bolts from this angle since my last deflection from the other side had taken down my opponent. "What happened to your leg?"

I glanced down. "I didn't even feel it."

She knelt down and inspected the wound. "I see we're starting my victory early."

"You know what!" she laughed, smacking my thigh. "This is a _serious _injury. How can you _not _feel it?"

I felt her warm hands touch it, sending a tingling feeling through my body. She showed me her hand that was covered in blood. "Well, I felt you touch it, but now I feel nothing."

"I think you need a break, Ani."

"No breaks, love. This is war."

She tugged me out of the battlefield once the man I was dodging bolts from dropped to the ground. "Stop," she whispered, slamming my back against a wall. "You're probably going into shock."

"I feel fine. Really, I do."

She put her leg between both of mine. "Ani, I know you aren't."

"I'm fine, darling," I whispered, rubbing her cheek. "I would let you know if I wasn't. Do you believe me?"

She ran her fingers through my hair. "You're sweaty and bloody…"

I gently took her lek in my hand and showed it to her. "So are _you._ Soka, I'm all right. I understand that you're worried, but there's nothing to worry about.

An explosion shook us. I pulled her against me. "Always something getting in the way," she muttered.

"Even in war love prevails," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her.


	31. New Wounds

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

Anakin was _down._

Several explosives had been dropped via shuttles and he had stupidly tried to save me. I was kneeling beside him, trying to put the small flames across his body out. I also attempted to stop the blood that was pouring from every possible area. The way it dripped and pooled around him on the cement sickened me. This was my husband and he was losing a tremendous amount of blood.

"Anakin," I whispered, wiping his sweaty hair out of his bruised face. "Please, wake up…" I pleaded. His lips were parted. "Ani… Ani, please…"

Tears rolled down my face. I placed my hand above his heart. I could faintly hear it with my extra hearing ability thanks to my montrals. I placed two fingers against his neck and sighed. "No matter how much pain you go through, you always manage to keep your heart beating…"

Obi-Wan rushed over to me, kneeling down quickly. "What happened?" he shouted. I think this was the first time I'd seen him so angry.

"He got too confident in himself like he used to. He tried to save me from the explosives. He did manage to push me out of the way, but he stayed here and tried to prevent the missiles from making contact with the ground."

"At least he's alive. I'll chew him out later. He's so _reckless._"

"That's my Anakin for you," I said, smiling down at his face. I glanced beside me to stare at the older man. "What's the situation now?"

"They've retreated for the time being. I'm not sure when they'll return, but they will definitely be back. You'll never guess who flew in to save our skins."

I raised my eye markings in question. "Who?"

"_Yularen._"

My jaw dropped and I was indeed surprised. "He's been gone for a long time. How did he manage to help us? How did he get here?"

"Slow down, Ahsoka," he sighed. "From what I was told, he joined the empire's fleet and was given a cruiser with extreme power. He just happened to discover that you and Anakin were still well alive and under attack. He apparently had more respect for Anakin than he displayed."

I sighed. "Well, since the first wave is over, we need to get him back inside. He needs a medic."

He nodded and helped me lift Anakin. His feet dragged beneath him as his arms were slung over our shoulders. I stared at his bruised face that was hung over. His chin was touching his tattered tunic.

We managed to get him inside and immediately into a medical wing. We plopped him down onto a medical bed and Obi-Wan went to power up a droid.

The droid wheeled over and inspected Anakin. It ran a scan over his body and made some clicking sounds. "It appears as though he has lost a great amount of blood. He will need more."

"Then do it!" I shouted. Obi-Wan put his hand on my shoulder. "Relax. You can't intimidate these droids, Ahsoka. It's going to do its best to help Anakin. All we can do is stay strong for him."

I sighed and looked back at Anakin. I saw his eyelids moving for a few moments until they snapped open. He gasped loudly and lurched forward. He began to cough up blood. "Ani, Ani, it's okay," I whispered.

He closed his eyes tightly as I ran my fingers through his hair. Once his coughing halted, he leaned against me. "Soka…" he whispered. His voice was very strained. I could only assume that it was burning from dehydration and the blood.

"I'm here, Anakin. Obi-Wan's here, too, love."

He lifted his hand to my chest, feeling my heart. "You okay?"

I kissed his hair. "Yes, I'm okay. You saved me, Anakin."

He smiled weakly. "That's… that's what I wanted…"

He moved his hand back down to my stomach and began to rub my skin slowly and gently. "You did a great job, Ani. Just do me a favor and don't do it again. You're staining the bed sheets."

I rubbed his neck only to see more blood on my fingers. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down. "Wow," he breathed. "I'm bleeding _that _much?"

"Yes. Ani, you shouldn't even be awake with that much blood draining out of you."

The droid came back with a large container of blood that I assumed was for Anakin. "Love, you're going to be put under for a while. The droid is going to make you feel better, okay? Oh, and Ani, you win. That's something to look forward to when you wake up later."

He smiled again and kissed my arm. "I told you I'd win. I'll see you when I wake up, Soka. Love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." I kissed his cheek and helped him lay back down. "Just relax, Ani," I whispered, running my fingers through his hair.

He nodded and closed his eyes. The smile never left his face, well, until the droid sedated him. Then it was just his normal sleeping look. "'You win'?"

I chuckled, sitting down on the floor against the wall. "We made a deal before we got out there."

"Oh, dear," he sighed, coming to sit beside me. "I'm sure this is a deal I don't want to know about."

"Well, he was the only one that would come out winning if we won. If I won, we'd all be dead right now."

He shook his head. "You two were always the ones to lighten up a battle."

I leaned against his shoulder and closed my eyes. "You both did the same thing."

"Yes, but Anakin always made fun of me. Like when we were on Mandalore years ago. Our last mission to Mandalore…"

I smiled. "He knew there was something going on with you and Satine. As it turns out, he was right."

"He always messed with the topic, turning things around to sound _wrong_, much like himself. You know how he jokes about relationships…"

I chuckled. "That's my Ani."

"Ahsoka, he'll be out for a few hours. How about we go check on the children?"

I opened my eyes and sat up. "That sounds good. I miss my babies…"

He smiled and stood, helping me up. I turned to look at Anakin once last time before leaving him here. "I'll be back soon, Ani. I promise."

With that said, Obi-Wan and I left to head to the safe room where we'd left all the Padawans and such. Satine and Padme were the first ones through the door. "Thank the Force you're back," Satine gasped, collapsing against Obi-Wan's chest.

"Is everything all right?"

"They're out of hand. We're lucky _we _weren't killed."

Shmi and Kaimi ran out of the room. Padme was holding Cayden. I have to admit, I felt really jealous watching her hold my baby. After everything she'd said to Anakin, I didn't want her to touch my children.

I quickly walked over to her and lifted Cayden out of her arms and into mine. "Thank you," I said angrily.

She nodded and walked towards Shmi. Shmi – Anakin's little Padawan – backed away from her. "Go away!" she screeched.

"Shmi, it's Mommy. I'm just making sure you're okay."

"You're not my Mommy! She is!" Shmi turned and pointed at me. "You left me. She took care of me. She _loves _me!"

Padme stood up, shocked. I felt her rage as she looked at me. "So you've brainwashed _my _daughter?"

"Padme –"

She held the blaster towards me. I stood, frozen. Obi-Wan glanced towards us and kicked the blaster out of her hand. "Padme, what are you doing?"

She stared at him like she had no idea what was going on. "Where's Ani?"

"He's currently unconscious. He'll be up in a few hours."

I watched her turn to glare at me. "We'll finish our _conversation _once he's awake, _Togruta._"

Satine and Obi-Wan grabbed me as Padme skipped away. "Ahsoka, stop," Obi-Wan whispered. "Anakin wouldn't want you to act like this."

"Oh, I think he might let me," I growled, watching her back.

"Satine's going to take you back to your quarters. I'm going to make sure everything remains under control here."

I nodded, breathing through my mouth. Satine put her arm around me. "Come on, dear. Children, come along."

Kaimi and Shmi ran up behind us and walked with us back to the dorm.

"Satine, do you think I'm a jealous wife?" I asked as we stopped outside of my door.

She smiled. "No, I don't think you're a jealous wife. You're more of a protective one. You're a Togruta and, from what I've read, you're protective of your property. In this case, Anakin is your property."

"I…" I trailed off. "I never thought of him as my _property_. I know his slavery background. I never meant –"

"That isn't how it is, my dear. He's your mate, which makes him _yours._ You don't want to lose him, so your primal instincts take over once you feel that your hold on him is threatened."

"Wow, you know more about Togrutas than I do."

"I've had to do research, my dear. I was the Duchess of Mandalore and I've had to speak with members of many different planets. It took time to learn about your race. Don't worry about feeling jealous. You could be jealous, but you're protective of him. Anakin needs someone like you in his life. He's felt so broken all his life. We've had a few moments in the past where we talked and I could see that he wasn't happy. With you, it's completely different. You're everything to him and he's everything to you."

I gave her a quick hug, being mindful of the sleeping baby in my arm. "Thank you, Satine."

"You're very welcome. Now, you take care of your children. They've missed their mother," she smiled.

"I know," I sighed. "Anakin told me that Cayden's first word was 'Obi.' He's never felt so… I don't know. _Incapable?_ He thinks we abandoned the children."

"Think of me as a babysitter, Ahsoka. I'm here to take care of the children whenever you two need a break. In your case, you two have gone through a lot since coming back to Coruscant. I understand that the Grand Master of the Council and his wife need time alone to face their problems or to share loving moments."

"I really appreciate all the help you've given us, Satine. I don't know where Anakin and I would be without you. There's been a few times where we felt like we were just going to lose ourselves."

"I know. Go rest, Ahsoka. You deserve some time to sleep."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. She turned on her heel and walked back to her quarters. I entered my own and cradled Cayden against my chest.

Shmi and Kaimi were waiting for me on the bed. "Where's Daddy?" Kaimi asked, her innocence making me want to cry.

"Daddy's a little hurt. He'll be here in a little bit, okay?"

She nodded and lay back on the bed. Shmi rested beside her as I moved to put Cayden into his crib. I lay down beside the two of them and closed my eyes.

**Later.**

My right lek was getting rubbed very gently. I opened my eyes slowly and twisted my body to look behind me. I saw Anakin smiling down at me. "Hey," he whispered, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. It'll take a few days to heal completely, but I'm all right. How are you?"

I bounced on the bed to flip over. I kissed his leg. "I'm great now that you're here. I missed you, Ani. I was so worried about you…"

"I'm all right," he laughed lightly. He stroked my rear lek slowly. "I missed you, too."

I could feel that something was wrong inside of him though. I tilted my head back to stare up at his face. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I sense a disturbance," I whispered.

He sighed and looked away from me. "Obi-Wan's gone."


	32. Spacial Retreat

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

The next morning came too quickly for my liking. Satine, Ahsoka, and I were walking through the hangar bay quickly. "Ani, are you sure about this?"

"I know he's not dead. I can still feel him in the Force."

She grabbed my arm roughly. "Breathe."

"Ahsoka, I –"

"No. Just _breathe._"

I rolled my eyes and quickly inhaled, exhaling just as fast. "Okay?" I said, raising my eyebrow.

She crossed her arms and raised her left eye marking. "Do you think this is smart? We don't even know who took him, Anakin. The Twi'leks and Togrutas could come back at any moment. If the three of us leave, what do you think will happen?"

"Look," I said quickly, holding both sides of her face. "You guys have risked everything for me in the past. It's my turn to risk everything. The kids are coming with us, so there's no reason for you to worry. They're safe with us and I'm not turning my back on him."

Her hands lifted to grip mine that were still holding her face. She sighed, closing her eyes. "I just think you're rushing into this. You're still hurt. I mean, look at you. You're covered in bruises and your neck is –"

I kissed her quickly, closing my eyes. "_I hate you_," she sighed into my thoughts. "_You always know how to shut me up._"

"But you love me anyway," I thought back.

"_I can't stop loving you._"

We separated and I smiled. I caressed her cheek and watched her eyes close again. "Also, I'm not rushing out of the bet we made. You're still obligated to complete your part," I whispered, smirking.

"And now I have _more _reason to hate you," she laughed. She ran her cool fingers over my jaw line. "You'll get everything you want from me when we get back. I promise, my lovely man."

We boarded the _Twilight _– Ahsoka had brought it back to us recently. Kaimi, Shmi, and Airi were all strapped into their seats. Satine placed Cayden in one of the _ultra-secure-seats._

Soka walked up behind me into the cockpit. Shmi bounced up into the cockpit as well. "Daddy, do I get to use my lightsaber?"

I glanced at Ahsoka nervously. "Possibly, baby," I whispered. "I'm not sure if your mother would appreciate me allowing you to endanger yourself."

"But Daddy, I want to be just like _you!_"

"That may not be the best idea, Shmi." I glanced back at the new voice and glared.

"If you're here to insult me or Ahsoka, you can _leave_," I sneered.

"I'm not here to insult you," Padme said, rolling her eyes. "I'm here to rescue Obi-Wan."

I could see and feel Ahsoka's tension. Neither of us wanted her here right now. "Good, then _you _can watch the ship while we rescue him," Ahsoka muttered. She began to help me reconfigure the control panel.

I watched Padme from the corner of my eye. She grabbed Ahsoka's chair and I _lost _it. I spun my chair quickly and stood, igniting my saber. I held the tip close to her neck.

"Don't you _dare _touch her," I growled.

She stepped back and Shmi dove into Ahsoka's lap. "The next time you _threaten anyone _in my family, I will _slowly _kill you until _I _feel _satisfied._ I will _enjoy _every little scream and listen to you _beg _me for a quick death."

"Anakin," Ahsoka snapped, her voice shaking.

"I am not afraid of you, Anakin."

My voice deepened and I scared myself a little. "I'll give you reason to fear me," I growled. "You'll wish I'd died all those years ago."

Ahsoka gripped my shoulder before I could stand up. She took my lightsaber from my hand and attached it to her belt. She spun me around, forcing me to look at _her._ "Stop this _right now_. This isn't like you, Ani. What's wrong?"

I closed my eyes and took a breath. "We'll talk later when the kids are asleep," I whispered. I opened my eyes and glanced at Padme over my shoulder. "I suggest you shut up and take a seat if you want to survive this trip."

She rolled her eyes and turned. It took everything in me – plus Ahsoka – to _not _kill her. Her hand rested above my heart. "Ani, please…"

I put my hands on the headrests of both seats and nearly crushed them. My mechanical hand snapped the headrest off of my seat, not that it really mattered to me.

I spun around and sat down, gripping the controls a bit too tightly. Ahsoka knelt down beside me and grabbed my hands. "Talk to me now," she whispered. "I don't want you to be angry. I shouldn't have said anything to you about yesterday…"

"No, I'm glad you told me," I whispered. "If I'd found out on my own, I might have killed her." I held her hands and smiled weakly at her. "Soka, I really don't want her here. I'm getting tired of her interfering with _us_," I whispered.

She stood up and sat on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and she leaned her montrals against my shoulder. "Do you think I want her here, Ani? _No._ I'd let you kill her, but she's your daughter's _real _mother. There has to be some connection between them. You can't take that away from Shmi."

I rested my head on her montrals and she kissed my jaw. "Don't be upset anymore, Anakin. Just remember that you're going to be a _very _happy man once we come back."

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I might just let that bet slide because you're keeping me under control here. If we come out of here without Padme's blood on my hands, you're out of the deal."

"What if I want to go through with it?"

I smirked and kissed her. "Then that's _your _choice, love."

She giggled and rubbed my chest. "Okay, we'd better get out of here."

She started to get off of me, but I forced her to stay still. "Ani, I don't think you can fly with me on you."

"Let's see if I can," I teased.

I began to steer the ship out of the hangar bay and into the Coruscant sky. "Anakin, the cruisers are still out there!" she shouted once we left Coruscant's orbit.

We were in free space now and several cruisers were directly ahead of us. "Okay, I might need you to go sit in your own seat. Help me gun 'em down."

She hopped off of me and jumped into her own seat. She grabbed the controls and began firing. After several intense blasts and a few missile launches, one cruiser exploded.

"How many did he say there were to begin with?"

"_Ten._ Nine more to go, sweetheart."

I groaned and attempted to help her by increasing the damage of the turrets she was using. She had a larger amount of focus on shooting than I did at the moment. I was trying to avoid the blasterfire heading towards _us._

I slammed the controls into my gut and pulled the ship up. "Blind fire!" she shouted. "I can't see anything!"

"Try your best!" I shouted back. "I can't go straight-ahead or we'll get killed!"

Satine came up into the cockpit. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Soka, get her on the rear turrets. Pull it down in the back," I said through my teeth.

She nodded quickly and got up. She ran into the back and pulled down a long sight-shaft. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Satine take the handles and look through the screen. Ahsoka came back to sit beside me, resuming her current position. I gasped and eased up on the controls, steering normally once again.

"Left, ten degrees," I whispered, glancing back and forth between the scanner and the view screen.

"Got it." Another cruiser exploded after a few moments. "Anakin, a cruiser is preparing for a jump to hyperspace. I can't pick out which one it is though."

"It has Obi-Wan." I quickly jumped out of my seat. "Switch."

She took over the flight controls while I gunned. I used my intensified Force perception to guide my shots like I'd done back on Tatooine while I was podracing. It took moments to realize that I'd blow the pod up if I went a certain way.

"North, four degrees."

I nodded and quickly began to blast. "Satine, left side, fourteen degrees. The engines are damaged on that cruiser."

I helped her finish off the cruiser. "Seven to go," I sighed. I felt empty for a moment. "Blast!"

"What's wrong?"

"Obi-Wan's cruiser is gone. They jumped…"

The rest of the ships left with it. I released the controls, my frustration taking over. I slammed my back against the chair and closed my eyes.

"Ani, you did your best. He knows that."

"It wasn't _good enough_."

I heard light footsteps moving around and Ahsoka's fingers touched my cheeks. "You did all you could do. Anakin, look at me."

I opened my eyes to see a blurred vision of her. She ran her fingers through my hair while rubbing my jaw. "Listen. There's nothing more you could have done. You _both _tried."

I heard faint beeps in the storage area of the ship. Soka backed up and pulled me with her into the storage room.

Once we were alone, she wrapped her arms around me. "Cry, Anakin," she whispered.

I rubbed her back, trying to fight the tears. "Ani, let go of your walls."

I crashed down onto my knees, taking her with me. She held my head against her chest, running her fingers through my hair with her other hand. "I failed him…" I gasped.

I closed my eyes and gripped her wrist with my flesh hand. "You didn't fail him, Anakin. He knows you tried."

"If something… something happens to him… it's _my _fault…"

"Shh," she whispered, kissing my hair. "Just stop. You're only hurting yourself, Anakin. Sweetheart, I love you and Obi-Wan loves you. He knows you'll go to whatever extreme you have to in order to get him back."

I heard her lock the door. "Soka?"

"I'm going to make sure no one comes in here. You need to get this all out of your system. Satine can take over for a while. This is our time to _talk._ Tell me what's on your mind. Tell me why you want to kill Padme."

I rubbed my hand over my face and sat up to stare into her eyes. "All she's doing is trying to break us up. She's killing me. She's been killing me for almost eight years!"

I slammed my mechanical hand onto the floor, leaving a dent. Ahsoka jumped before scooting closer to me. She rubbed my right side, running her hand over one of the gashes I'd received during the first wave. I groaned, closing my eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" she whispered quickly.

I nodded, breathing through my nose as I ground my teeth. She moved her hand to my stomach. "I'm sorry, Anakin…"

"It's all right. At least I know that you don't intentionally inflict pain on me. I love you."

She smiled up at me, kissing my chest. "I love you."

"If it weren't for Shmi, I might _really _consider just getting rid of Padme. She's such a…" I trailed off, sighing. "I can't even say it because I'm not one to talk like that."

"Oh?" she laughed. "Since when? Every time we're alone, all you can say is –"

"_That _is different," I sighed. "That's intense. This is just pathetic."

"Speaking of intense…" she trailed off. She looked up at me and winked. "How about we get a little intense in here?"

"We're on a ship," I laughed.

"Like that's ever stopped us before. Stand up, Mr. Skywalker."

I smirked and lightly moved her away. "That's _Master _Skywalker to you, love."

She giggled as I got up. I watched her relax onto her knees. She smiled as she grabbed the hem of my pants. I laughed at her devious smile. "I see what you mean by _intense._"


	33. Plans

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Come on, Artoo. You've got to have something in that dome to help us, buddy…" I whispered in the dark.

We were all back in the temple now. Soka was asleep on the bed and I was in the corner of the room talking to my astromech.

Artoo whimpered lowly and beeped a few times to tell me that he was trying his best to figure something out. He told me that something was damaged, but I didn't have the appropriate tools right now to fix him and people were actually sleeping. "Ani?" the voice whispered behind me sleepily. "What are you doing?"

I heard the mattress shift a little as she slid off. I turned to look behind me. She pulled my shirt over her head and came over to me, putting her chin on my head. She rubbed my shoulders and back. "Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes and relaxed at the soothing touch she was giving me. "If by that you mean: _are you going to try to kill someone again?_ Then yes, I'm all right, love."

She lifted her left lek over my shoulder and I kissed it. I opened my eyes and glanced up at her. "I'm really okay, Soka. I am sorry about earlier though."

I rubbed her lek gently, taking her tender injury into consideration. I'd been so frustrated when we came back to our room that I accidentally hurt her lek. That was a massive downfall to having a mechanical hand. I could easily injure someone without trying.

"I know you're sorry and _you _know that I already forgave you. I can't hold that against you. I know how you're feeling because I can feel it, too. Your emotions are a little out of control at the moment. I understand that."

"So you're saying I'm unstable?" I asked, turning around to look at her. Artoo rolled away, beeping lowly.

"You know that's not what I meant. Ani, don't even start this right now. Neither of us is in the mood for an argument. Just come back to bed and hold me."

"Your unstable husband whose emotions are a _little _out of control might hurt you again, so what's the point?" I stood up and walked away from her.

I put my hand on the threshold of the door, holding it tightly as I closed my eyes. "I do _not _think of you that way, Anakin. You're my wonderful husband who's under a lot of stress."

She wrapped her arms around me, rubbing my midsection with her hand. Her right lek pressed against my back and her cool lips planted kisses up my muscles. "Regardless of what happens, I love you. You've never done anything to stop me from loving you. You're an amazing man and you're very emotional." I looked over my shoulder, kind of glaring at her. "I don't mean it like that. You're an emotional man. You let everything out with me and that's _good._ I don't want you to hold your feelings in or they'll consume you."

"I'm sorry, Soka."

"Don't apologize."

I turned around and pulled her into my arms. "I'm acting like a jerk because I feel like I failed the only man that I could call my brother. I lost him and I don't know how to get him back…"

She rubbed the side of her head against my chest. "I understand, Ani, but we'll get him back. We've always got some plan. We always managed to pull you out alive."

I stared past her montrals for a while. I continued to stroke her rear lek absentmindedly until I got an idea. "Get Satine."

I swung myself around her and ran over to my pile of mechanical junk. "Why?"

"I've got an idea." I pulled out the piece I was looking for and held it up to show her.

"A scanner. That's great, sweetheart, but how are – that's a residual scanner."

I smirked. "It sure is. It can trace the residue that was left behind by those cruisers."

She ran over to me and jumped onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck tightly. "I love how smart you are, Ani. It's so much easier to have you around because you think quickly."

"Sometimes," I muttered. "I'm going to go hook this thing up to the _Twilight._ Find Satine and –"

Shmi woke up and looked directly at me. "Where are you going, Daddy?"

I glanced up at Ahsoka before answering. "We're going to try to find Uncle Obi. Do you still want to use your lightsaber?"

She jumped out of bed and ran over to me. "Do you know where he is?"

"I'm hoping this will tell me," I replied, shaking the scanner a bit.

She touched it and stared into my eyes. "Residual scanner."

I cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"

"I know what all of your stuff is," she whispered, pointing at the pile of junk.

"I'm surrounded by smart girls," I laughed. I ruffled her hair with my flesh hand as Soka kissed my neck. "Okay, baby girl, go find some better clothes to wear. I don't think you want to fight the bad guys in your pajamas."

Soka giggled on my back as Shmi nodded and ran towards her dresser. "Is this how you were when you were her age?"

"Eager to fight? No. When I was eight, I was on Tatooine serving as Watto's slave."

"Oh," she whispered, rubbing the back of my neck. She pushed herself off of me and allowed me to stand. I turned around to hug her.

"I love you."

She smiled and gently grabbed my chin, pulling my face down towards hers. "I love you, too."

Her cool lips felt nice against my burning ones. Her fingers rubbed my jaw slowly and I dropped the scanner. I wound my arms around her, tightening my hold on her. "I'm ready, Daddy."

We separated and laughed lightly. "Okay, kiddo. Snips, can you go find Satine?"

She ran her fingers down my chest and nodded. "Yes, love. I'll be right back."

I watched her back until she walked out of the room. I knelt down and picked up the scanner. Shmi ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. "Hey, baby," I whispered, holding the back of her head. "You okay?"

"I wanted to ask you something," she whispered, pulling away from me.

"What's that?"

She hesitated. "Shmi, you can tell me _anything. _I'm your –"

"You're my Daddy," she whispered, smiling up at me. "Daddy, why were you and Mommy fighting?"

"Real Mommy or Soka?"

"Soka."

"We weren't fighting. I was acting stupid."

"But Mommy was crying. Why did you hurt her?"

It was hard to get angry with her because she was still _innocent. _I sighed and closed my eyes. "I didn't _mean _to hurt her. Kiddo, do you know what happened to my hand?"

"Padme told me that it got hurt."

I chuckled darkly, remembering the duel with Dooku. I pulled my glove off and flexed the fingers. She stared at it with wide eyes and gasped. I watched her back away in fear. "What… what happened to it?"

"Let's just say that it got hurt _really_ badly. Sweetheart, this hand is my stronger one. If it were normal, I might not have hurt Mommy as badly as I did."

"Does Mommy hate you?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but –" I stopped myself. Shmi wouldn't understand the pain I'm going through. Each time I did something to hurt Ahsoka, I thought she'd leave me. Earlier, I'd had Shmi and Kaimi leave because I didn't want them to see me break.

It hurt to see Ahsoka sitting on the floor, crying. Once the kids left, I fell to my knees and held her against me. Regardless of what happened, she always told me that she loved me. She always _forgave _me. It was _unfair._ She didn't deserve to be hurt so much by one person.

"Okay," Ahsoka said, announcing her arrival. "I explained the whole situation to – Ani?"

I glanced up from the floor to stare at her. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right?"

I got up and she came over to me. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She hugged me, closing her eyes as her face pressed against my chest. "_I know you're not. Ani, I forgive you because I love you. I don't want things to tear us apart._"

I kissed the center of her montrals. "I don't either. I just don't want to hurt you."

"_You let me worry about that._"

"Soka –"

"_Ani._"

I sighed and rubbed her rear lek, tracing over one of the stripes. "Fine."

"_Don't get upset…_"

"I'm _not_ upset."

She stared up at me sadly. "I know when you're upset, Anakin. I can feel it right now," she whispered aloud.

"I need my shirt back…" I trailed off. "If that's okay with you."

She backed up and smirked. "Come get it from me then, Mr. Skywalker."

"Love, not right – Ahsoka! I'm not in the mood for games right now!"

She ran out of the room, laughing. I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I'll be back with your mother in a moment, Shmi," I said, turning to face her for a second. I darted out of the room, running down the hallway after my pantless wife. She's just lucky that my shirts are normally as long as most of her body…

I put the Force into my steps, listening to her laughter. I caught up to her. She continued to run as I leapt over her.

I landed in front of her and scooped her into my arms. Her bare legs dangled over my arms and she laughed. "All right…" I sighed. "I win, so I want my shirt back."

"Cheer up, grouch."

"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm not one of the happy younglings today, but –"

She pressed her hand against my mouth. "I'm kidding. I wanted to make you smile. It didn't work, did it?"

I gave her a forced smile. "Happy now?"

"No," she whispered. She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "Why are you so unhappy? Don't I make you happy?"

"You know you do, Soka. I'm just mad at myself."

I started to walk back to the dorm with her in my arms. "_We'll talk in the refresher._"

"Oh?" I thought back.

"_I need to get dressed, too, so we'll talk in there._"

"Okay," I replied, giving in.

We walked back into our room and I set her down. She walked over to her dresser and I stood beside her, going through my own. I grabbed the garments I had in the drawer. My shirt was on her, so I'd have to wait before I could change out of my pajama pants.

She grabbed a short dress, gray leggings, and a belt. "Come on."

I nodded silently and walked behind her. I kicked my boots into the refresher after she walked in. The door slid to a close and she sat down on the toilet. "Do you think we should take Satine with us? I mean, if something happened to Obi-Wan, the baby –"

"If something happened to him, it'd be better for her to find out _now _instead of when _we _come back. I'm sure nothing happened, so she'll be fine."

She sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right."

I slid my pajama pants off and tossed them into a basket. I pulled my Jedi trousers on as she slid my shirt over her head. She handed it to me and I slid it on. I watched her pull her dress on and helped her move it around her body. It was _really tight _on her.

She pulled the leggings on as I was finishing up my own outfit. I looked like a Jedi Grand Master and she looked like my Knight. I helped her get her belt on and watched her pull her boots on. I rubbed her stomach afterwards.

"What's on your mind, Ani?"

"Just you and the kids." Every time I rubbed her stomach, I was reminded of her pregnancies. I remembered those few nights I'd spent just staring at her in her sleep. I couldn't help it.

Ahsoka was beautiful even if she was pregnant. She held my hand against her stomach and smiled up at me. "You're part of the reason they're here, Ani. It takes two to make a baby."

I chuckled. "Yes, it does."

"I got you to smile!" she whispered, putting her hands on either side of my face.

I hadn't even realized that I'd smiled. I rolled my eyes and kissed her quickly. "Sure, sure. You win this round. Come on, love. We'll drop Kaimi and Cayden off with Plo and then we'll leave with Shmi."

She nodded and ran her fingers through my hair one more time before we walked out of the refresher to prepare for departure.


	34. Prelude to a Rescue

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I sat in the seat beside Anakin. We'd been flying for a few hours now. Satine was asleep in the back and Shmi was sitting in my lap with her head against my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair as I stared at my husband.

I saw his eyelids drooping every now and then, but he shook himself awake when he realized he was getting tired. "Ani…"

"Hm?" he sighed, glancing at me.

"Do you want to take a break? I can use the scanner just as much as you can."

He rubbed his eyes quickly before smiling at me. "I'm all right, love. Thank you though."

I outstretched my hand towards him, holding it out between us. He smiled wider as he reached his mechanical hand out towards it. He grasped my hand lightly, allowing me to tighten my grip since I wouldn't hurt him.

Another hour passed and he was growing more and more exhausted with each passing minute. "Anakin, take a break," I whispered.

"I'm fine," he sighed. He pulled his hand away from mine to rub his eyes again.

I got up and carried Shmi into the back, laying her down on a small bed that we'd brought along with us. Once she was settled, I went back into the cockpit. "Sweetheart, you're going to fall asleep and crash the ship if you don't rest."

"The beds are occupied and I don't want to leave you alone up here in case someone decides to attack us."

I stood behind his chair and put my hands on his shoulders, rubbing them. The headrest was a bit jagged and sharp since he'd torn it up the last time we came in. I began to give him a more relaxing massage. "Mm…" he moaned. "Soka…"

"Let me fly the ship for a little while, love."

He sighed and nodded slowly. I took the controls before he had the chance to release them. He pushed himself out of the seat and sat down in the co-pilot's seat. I watched him pull his legs up to his chest and lay his head on his knees, wrapping his arms around them.

"That can't be comfortable…"

He laughed a little, smiling weakly with his eyes closed. "When is sleeping comfortable?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've gotten jabbed by your montrals a few times in my sleep, darling. You feel the sleepy need to kick me or harm me in some fashion," he said, chuckling.

I laughed and smiled at him. "You control most of my movements when I'm asleep. You always hold me so tightly."

"It's because I don't want to let you go."

"I didn't say that holding me like that was a bad thing. I absolutely love it, Ani. I can always feel your heartbeat against my chest. You're so warm…"

"You're obsessed with my heart."

"Because I know it's a good one," I smiled. I reached out and rubbed his arm. "I love your heart. You're a wonderful man. I'm glad I married you, Ani."

He turned his head towards me and opened his eyes a little, smiling widely. "I can't imagine a life where I didn't marry you. I was so scared the day I knelt down in front of you and asked you to marry me."

"You and Obi-Wan had me concerned. You two paced around the room until I forced you to sit down…"

He laughed, nodding. "It was all part of the plan. We were just going to act like immature men until you gave me a command."

"I knew you were up to something," I laughed.

"That was the most wonderful night of my life, aside from watching you go through pain and such. It was your birthday, you agreed to marry me, and you had our first child. It was _perfect._"

"It was definitely a very filling day."

"I'm still shocked that her birth was on your birthday. What a coincidence."

"I know. I wanted to cry. I was so excited, yet so nervous. I wanted you to be with me when she was born."

"I was there," he smiled.

"You were there both times."

"I wanted to be there. I was happy until…"

He trailed off and I knew what he was thinking. "Ani, she sacrificed herself. I keep telling you that her death wasn't your fault. When are you going to believe me?"

"I believe you, somewhat. I feel responsible. She was my friend. I admit, there was something there a long time ago, but I didn't think…" he sighed. "I didn't think she would actually fall in love with me."

"Everyone loves you."

"That's not true."

"Why are we still talking?" I asked, chuckling a little. "I wanted you to lie down so you could get some rest and here I am, keeping you awake."

"I don't mind. I love your voice. I always want to hear it."

I reached out and slid my thumb across his lips. "I love you."

"I know you do," he said, smiling. He kissed my thumb. "I love you, too."

"Get some rest, my love."

He nodded and closed his eyes. I felt his exhaustion growing until he finally relaxed. "How do you sleep like that?" I whispered, shaking my head.

I focused on the scanner, following the trail of residue crumbs that were left behind. I heard his soft snoring and I couldn't help but smile at him.

I loved how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. This was the Anakin I'd come to love. I loved him just as much when he was upset or angry, but this was the one I saw.

His lips were parted a bit and his eyes moved slowly.

About fifteen minutes passed before he jumped a little, throwing his legs out. He gasped and I turned towards him, concerned. "What's wrong?"

He was breathing quickly as he stared back at me. "We've got company."

"You know, it's not sleeping when you're spanning your senses to feel for enemies."

"I wasn't spanning my senses. I actually fell asleep."

The ship shook from the contact of a blast. "Ani," I whispered, looking at him nervously.

He jumped out of the seat and came over to me. We switched places. He was much better at flying under pressure than I was. I grabbed the controls and swung them around to fire at one of the ships floating around ours.

"Seems like they don't want us around," he muttered.

The door behind us slid open and Satine entered. "What's going on?"

"Go lie down, dear," Anakin said, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Obi-Wan would hate it if you got stressed out, all right? I don't want to hear his complaints."

"Oh, says you," I teased. "You _feed _off of his complaints."

"Funny."

"I'll be fine, little one. You needn't worry about me."

"I have every reason to worry about you. Satine…" he trailed off.

"I understand your concerns, Anakin, but it won't happen twice. I don't think I'm cursed enough to have the Force do that to me again."

I felt his inner turmoil as he stared back at her, but he finally nodded. "Man the rear guns," he whispered.

She smiled and took up the position behind us, pulling the viewer down. She began to aim and fire behind us. "Are you okay?" I whispered into his head.

"_No. If anything happens to her, I'm going to hear it from Obi-Wan and he'll never allow me to live without regret._"

The controls began to beep crazily. "Ani, the ship's burning up."

"I'm workin' on it!" he shouted. He stood up a little and started flipping switches above his seat while I pressed buttons. In the end, the ship would end up stabilized and cooled off, but if we didn't hurry, the ship would fry up.

He sighed in relief once everything calmed down. The _Twilight _took a heavy blast on my side of the ship. I grunted and held onto the blasting controls tightly. I was almost out of my seat because of the impact. Anakin's hand flew out and held me. "Don't get hurt," he whispered, his voice shaking.

I smiled at him and pushed myself back into the seat. "I'll be okay, sweetheart. Just fly the ship."

I felt his eyes on me a little bit longer, but then he refocused himself on the path ahead.

At the same time, our attention snapped to a bigger ship that was straight ahead. "Obi-Wan," he whispered. The residual scanner was going mad in front of him.

"How do you plan on getting in there?" I asked him quickly.

He looked at the controls and the ship a few times. He pressed a button and a schematic of the ship appeared. "There's a docking platform beneath it. We'll fly in under there and sneak in."

"Sounds good."

He nodded and flew in towards the ship. I held onto the armrests as he spun uncontrollably. Satine groaned in the back. "Ani, she's going to be sick."

"I know," he said through his teeth. "But it's necessary."

"How… how do you two _not _feel sick?" she complained.

"I've been doing this with him for a long time."

"I spin her around all the time," he laughed.

I reached over and smacked his arm. "Fly the ship, smart mouth."

"Satine, hold onto a seat, please," he called back to her.

She grabbed a hold of my seat and I held her hand on the headrest. "Hang on tight," I whispered up to her. "He's going to turn the ship upside down."

She stared at me in horror before wrapping her arms around the entire seat. I chuckled and held onto the armrests. Anakin glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "_You're actually worried out this?_"

"For her."

"_Ah. I just thought you might be concerned. I'd never put either of you in that much jeopardy._"

He spun the ship and my lekku flipped, smacking me in the face. Anakin let out a burst of laughter that he attempted to stifle. Satine was smacked in the face by my lekku as well.

"Just you wait until we're alone, Anakin."

"I love watching you when we're upside down," he smirked. "Well, it's usually you that's –"

"Hey, there is technically a child in this room," I said, rolling my eyes.

Both of our eyes widened and we looked towards the back. "Shmi," we both said quickly.

I couldn't get myself out of the seat before him, so he flipped down and almost smacked his head on the hull of the ship. He went into the back and grabbed Shmi.

He brought her into the cockpit and put her down. She was teary eyed, but otherwise all right. He reached up and helped Satine ease onto the ceiling that was now below us.

He looked up at me as Satine and Shmi went into the back. "Coming?"

"You're going to let me fall, aren't you?" I asked, watching his eyes.

"Now, what kind of husband would I be if I did that?" he shook his head. "I'll catch you, love."

I bit my lip as the blood began to rush to my head. I closed my eyes and let go of the seat. His strong arms caught me and held me against him. "See? I told you I'd catch you."

I opened my eyes in time for his lips to press against mine. I wound my arms around his neck and tugged on his hair a little. He chuckled as we separated. "The point of love is to fall for someone that'll catch you."

My heart skipped a beat when I looked into his eyes. He set me down and kissed me again. "You fell for me and I caught you," he whispered, his eyes still closed as he pulled back. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at me. "I'd never tell you that I'd catch you if I didn't plan to. I love you, Soka. I love you _so _much…"

I stroked the side of his face and smiled at him. "And this is how I fell in love with you."

He smiled wider. "I just thought it might've been the fact that I'm drop dead gorgeous."

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm. "You're not lying about that, but there's more to you than looks, sweetheart."

He grabbed my hand with his flesh one and we walked into the back with the other two.


	35. Accidents

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"I'm not so sure that this is a Togruta cruiser," I whispered. Ahsoka held my hand tightly as we crept through the cold corridors. "It smells of alcohol and other illegal things…"

Shmi began to cough. I turned a little to give her a worried glance. "Hey, relax. Breathe through your mouth."

She nodded and slowly began to do so. Ahsoka held my hand tighter. "I feel like something bad is about to happen."

A sharp jolt of pain ran through me. I groaned and clutched my chest. "It's Obi-Wan." I felt a presence moving down the corridor towards us. "Someone's coming."

The girls hid and I moved around the corner, holding the hilt of my lightsaber. "I'm going to kill him," I whispered to Ahsoka.

"_Why? What if he's innocent?_"

"No one gets away with hurting my family."

"_We still have to catch Dooku._"

"And we _will. _I'll make him suffer greatly for what he did to you."

"_It _won't _end like Jaele did._"

"No, it won't. I'm going to watch his torture and enjoy _every _last moment of his life."

"_Ani, don't say that, please…_"

I closed my eyes and began to relax myself. I looked across the hall at my worried wife. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I got a little out of hand there and I apologize. I don't want to scare you. I do, however, have a plan of action now."

"_It's okay, Ani. What's your plan?_"

"I'm going to let myself get captured. I'll figure out where they're holding Obi-Wan and then you and Satine will come in."

I held my lightsaber in the air and carefully levitated it over to her. She gripped it tightly, watching me curiously. "Keep that _and _yourself safe, Soka."

She nodded as the shadow of the _someone _came closer. I jumped out and kicked the man's knees. He was a Weequay pirate – one of Hondo's men from the looks of it. "Jedi!" he shouted.

I gave Ahsoka one last look and the three of them hid better so I couldn't see them. I jumped over the pirate and ran as fast as I possibly could. Then again, I'd learned before that running always ended up resulting in failure. I wasn't disappointed as I ran into a room full of drunken pirates. "Blast," I muttered. "This is why Obi-Wan doesn't run headfirst into something…"

In the very back of the room, I saw Obi-Wan dangling from a curved structure. It was similar to one of the missions we'd had a long time ago. Dooku had been captured by these pirates and they ended up deceiving us and adding us into the bargain as well.

Electricity – dormant – pulsed through the structure. Several blasters were aimed directly at my face and I raised my hands in surrender. I knew Ahsoka would come to my rescue. She usually did…

Force-binders were snapped around my wrists harshly. Obi-Wan looked pretty worn out from a distance. He was slumped forward, chin touching his chest. He looked _much _worse as I was led closer to him.

His clothes were torn in areas like he'd been whipped. A curved structure on the right was lowered and my wrists were lifted above my head. The binders linked to the structure and I was raised up, my feet dangling beneath me.

I groaned as my wrists were stretched a bit. The pressure of the binders after being lifted began to burn and it felt like my skin was being torn.

With my back to Obi-Wan's, I couldn't really talk to him like I'd been hoping to.

I rested my chin on my right shoulder and attempted to talk to him. "Obi-Wan," I whispered. "Hey, old man, wake up."

I saw him lift his head slightly, allowing it to fall back towards his shoulders. "Ana… kin?"

"It's me," I whispered quickly. "Are you all right?"

"How… how are you… here?"

"The girls and I went after you. What have they been doing to you?"

"Electric –"

"Hey!" a pirate shouted, his voice slightly off. "What are you two whisperin' 'bout?"

"What can we offer you in exchange for our freedom?" I asked quickly, sounding a bit too hopeful.

A chorus of laughter echoed through the room. I cringed and glared at the crowd around us. "You're dealing with scum, Skywalker," I muttered to myself.

"Such a bold question," a new voice spoke. I realized instantly who it was. This was Hondo, the pirate leader. "For those in no position to bargain."

He held up a device and pressed a button. Electric pulses coursed through Obi-Wan and me. Our backs arched in immense pain and we both began to cry out. I heard their laughter and drinks being bashed against each other in drunken toasts.

The pulses grew stronger for a few moments until a blast echoed through the room and they finally stopped. I hung limply, gasping at the amount of pain that still lingered. This had to be the most intense burst of electricity that I've ever had to go through.

"So," a feminine voice said seductively. "I hear that you've got some Jedi in need of breakin'?"

_Ahsoka. _Her voice was slightly off – _accented. _The way she sounded right now _really _turned me on. "_Calm yourself or this _won't _work, sweetheart. There's always time for that later._"

I heard a few whistles aimed towards her and I grew immensely jealous. She came closer to me and ran her hand down my leg. "This this one new?" she asked, turning to look at Hondo.

She had a completely different outfit on and she actually looked pretty good. Well, good from a husband's point of view is much better than it sounds. "_Again, calm down, Ani._"

I chuckled lightly despite the pain it caused.

Hondo crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a very observant glance. "And who might you be, beautiful?"

"My name need not be important. I'm a bounty hunter in search of a slave. A Jedi would provide most… _resourceful_ in my cause."

A few pirates moved to take Obi-Wan down and drag him out of the room, leaving me suspended alone. "Prove who you are," Hondo laughed, taunting her.

I heard the buzzing ignition of an electrowhip. "_I can't do this to you._"

I watched her stare at me sadly as she gripped the handle. I felt her dread well up inside of her to the point that she clearly showed hesitation. "Do it," I whispered, commanding her.

"_I can't –_"

"Do it, Ahsoka!" I snapped. "_Together_, we will find Obi-Wan. I need you to do this so we can get out of here together."

She snapped the whip against the floor once before making contact with my back. I held back from crying out by biting deeply into my lip to the point where a small line of blood trickled out. I knew that crying out would hurt her, so I forced myself to stay strong.

I did, however, arch my back and groan in agony, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She did it one more time before electricity flowed through me again. I couldn't help but scream now. I felt her shock and hesitation, her eyes were on me. I heard someone tell her to hit me again and she reluctantly did.

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

It hurt to see and feel the amount of pain he was going through. I hit him one last time, my hand shaking violently. The electricity pulses stopped and steam began to rise off of his body. He was breathing heavily yet slowly and blood was dripping down his back.

The pirates unbound him from the structure and he _collapsed _onto the floor, shaking. "He's all yours," Hondo laughed. I'd heard stories about him from Anakin, so I knew who he was.

I stared at his body, watching his back rise and fall in a very slow motion. I felt like he was fading away from me. Several laughs erupted around me and began to irritate me.

I smirked and nodded, leaning forward to grab him by the wrists. I pulled him up and he managed to walk with me, limping horribly. "Soka…" he whispered, his voice strained when we exited the bar.

"Ani, I'm so sorry." I managed to carry him down a decent distance from the bar before crashing down in a corner. I held him against my body tightly, not wanting to let him go. My left lek draped over his shoulder and his head rested against my chest. I put my hand on his cheek and kissed his hair. "I'm so sorry…"

"I'm… tired… Ahsoka…" he whispered beneath me, his voice sounding so strained and so weak. His body shook violently against me and I felt horrible. I'd caused this to happen. I knew I shouldn't have listened to him. He's too headstrong, thinking he's strong enough to survive _anything, _but he was only my Anakin.

I kissed his hair again and tears began to stream down my face. I could feel the Force fading in him and my chest tightened. "You can't go to sleep, Ani. Stay with me," I pleaded. Sleeping for him meant sleeping for an eternity. He would _never _wake up again if he fell asleep now.

He attempted to lift his head to look up at me. "I'm… so… tired, Soka…" His voice kept cracking as he spoke and it looked like it hurt, too. I ran my fingers through his hair slowly and kissed his forehead.

"No," I whispered. I looked down at his face to see his face paling and his eyes closing slowly. His body was finally giving in after all the torment he's been through. "No, no, no," I pleaded desperately. "Don't leave me, Anakin. Please, you can't."

He lifted his head for a moment, a weak smile plastered onto his lips. His eyes were glazed over and dull, his beautifully tanned skin continuing to pale, losing all of its lively color. "I… love… you…" he whispered. "Always… always… and… forever…"

"Don't leave me," I whispered in my final attempt to prevent his death.

He closed his eyes and lay still for a moment. That moment turned into moments, which turned into minutes. I don't know how long I sat here like this, but I knew it was a very long time. A river poured down both sides of my face as I felt absolutely nothing inside of him. The Force was gone…

_I _killed him.

I held his head against my chest tightly and cried into his hair. I rubbed his left cheek and felt the deathly coolness of it. I moved my hand down his face, his neck, his shoulder, and down onto his chest. The coolness lingered no matter where I touched him. My Anakin was gone.

I touched just above his heart and felt nothing. It was empty and lifeless.

"Ani…" I whispered. My lips trembled as I stared at his pale skin. "This isn't funny. You can't do this to me," I growled. "Wake up, Anakin. Please, you have to!"

I was shaking him lightly and he jostled limply in my arms. I felt another presence enter the corridor and I looked up to see Shmi – his daughter. She poked her head around the corner and gave me a very concerned look. "What's wrong with Daddy?" she asked as she ran towards us.

I cradled Anakin in my arms as she knelt down in front of me. I ran my fingers through his hair and lifted my head again to stare into her eyes. "Is Daddy sleeping?"

She sounded so _innocent _and I couldn't corrupt her. I nodded slowly. "Yeah," I whispered, my voice breaking once again. "Daddy is sleeping…"

I wiped my eyes and wrapped my arms around his shoulder. Shmi gently touched his arm. "Wake up, Daddy. Mommy needs you."

I hated to do this to her. I couldn't lie to her, but I couldn't tell her that I'd killed her father. The amount of stress put on his body in the last few months had been too much for him and I had just ended his life.

His final words echoed in my head as I closed my eyes and kissed his hair again. "_I love you. Always and forever._"


	36. Encounters

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

Despite the heaviness in my heart, I was able to carefully drag Anakin's body back towards the area we'd landed the _Twilight _on. I lifted his body into the air and jumped down into the small freighter. I lowered him in after me and laid him onto the ceiling gently – since we were still upside down.

Shmi hopped down, landing with ease. She was her father's daughter. I watched her skip happily into the cockpit and disappear behind the doors.

I looked down at my husband and ran my fingers over his cold lips. I lowered my face to his and kissed his lips slowly. After a few moments of killing myself this way, I laid my head on his chest and held his hand, silently crying. I curled up against him and closed my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Anakin…" I whispered. "I failed you…"

I lay there for Force knows how long, but I began to feel a small amount of vibration. I thought that maybe the _Twilight _was detaching itself from the cruiser.

I sat up and wiped my eyes again.

I jumped when Anakin lurched forward and gasped very audibly. I sat there, gaping, as he coughed up blood. His shoulders rose and fell violently as he shook with each cough. "Ahsoka?" he managed to gasp, wiping his mouth.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his warmth again. His beautiful color was coming back as well. "I'm right here," I whispered. His shaking mechanical hand lifted to touch my arm.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning his head back against my left lek. He groped for my hand with his flesh one and held it tightly once he found it.

I kissed his hair several times before he got a little nervous. "Ahsoka, what happened?"

My joy must have worried him. There was still a pretty bad situation at hand and I didn't think he remembered what had _just _happened. I moved to poke my head over his shoulder, kissing his jaw. "How much do you remember?"

"Everything up until we were sitting in the hallway together. Everything was blurry and dark. I couldn't hear anything either of us said."

"I love you, Anakin," I whispered, kissing his skin over and over again. "I love you so much."

He turned to look at me with a shocked expression. "I love you, too, but I don't understand why you're acting like this. You still haven't answered my question, Soka."

"Ani, something horrible happened when we were up there. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. It's all my fault!"

His eyes widened and he spun around to hold me. "Hey, hey, hey," he whispered, grabbing my face. "Shh, don't say that. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm sure it wasn't your fault. I'm fine. Nothing bad happened to me."

"Anakin, you _died._"

The amount of shock he felt overwhelmed me. "What?" he croaked, falling back away from me a little. "Ahsoka, that's not possible. How am I alive then?"

He bent his knees and rested his elbows on the tops of them, holding his head like he was going crazy. "That's not possible," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

I crawled between his legs and he wrapped his arms around me. I wound my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. "I don't know how you're alive, but I'm glad you are, Ani."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You're sorry?" I asked, lifting my head to look at him like he _was _crazy. "Why are _you _sorry?"

"I can only imagine what my death did to you. Ahsoka, whatever happened wasn't your fault. I don't remember anything, so I'm not even sure why it happened."

Tears began to flow down my cheeks. "Ani, it was my fault. _I _killed you…"

"Don't you _ever _say that again," he whispered fiercely, kissing my montral. "I honestly can't believe _you _killed me, so stop it. You're only hurting yourself by saying that because I _know _that's not true."

He held my head against his chest, stroking my right lek. "Ani, there was too much stress on your body. I should have known that –"

"I said stop it."

I nodded and closed my eyes, silently crying. He held me tightly, rocking slowly. "I love you, Ahsoka. I will always love you. I don't care if you think you killed me because you _didn't. _If you killed me, I wouldn't be here right now. Maybe my body froze in time or something. I don't know how to explain it to you, but stop hurting yourself. There's nothing I can do if you keep thinking it was your fault."

"You were so cold…" I whispered.

His chest heaved a little and I felt tears drip onto my face. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was hurting and I hadn't even realized it. "Ani –"

He shook his head and lifted his flesh hand to his face, wiping his tears away. "I'm fine," he whispered, trying to laugh over it.

"Why are you crying?" I asked as he replaced his hand to its original position.

"Because of what you're saying. I don't want to hear this from you. I don't want to _feel _this from you. You're my Ahsoka no matter what happens. I'm alive and well now, so I want you to stop worrying. Don't think I'm going to stop loving you just because you claim to have killed me. You're mine until the end."

I nodded quickly and rubbed my face against his chest, taking in his warmth. "I love you, Ahsoka Skywalker, always and forever."

"Those were your last words before you died in my arms…" I whispered.

I felt his guilt build up and I felt bad for saying anything at all. I hugged him tighter and kissed his chest. "I love you, too, Anakin, always and forever."

We both lifted our heads towards the opening of the _Twilight _that led to the cruiser. "Do you sense that?" he whispered.

I could feel the overwhelming dark side from above. I nodded and pushed myself up, pulling him with me. He stumbled a little bit, but I managed to help him stay on his feet. I put my hand on his chest and stared into his eyes. "I love you."

"As I love you, my darling," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss me. He kissed me slowly with his warm lips and I enjoyed every moment of it. Once we separated, we informed Shmi of the situation and told her to stay put.

Anakin lifted me up and jumped up after me. "What do you think is going on? I've never felt this much dark power in one place."

He shrugged. "By the amount of anger, I'd assume someone's been betrayed. I'm hoping it's Dooku."

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

All the blood rushed to my head. The last thing I remembered was Anakin telling me that he and the ladies had come to my rescue. I realized that that meant Satine was here. As happy as I was for that, I was worried. I was hoping that she was taking care of herself and the baby.

Aside from the body aches and dizziness, I felt fine. I wondered where the three of them were now…

I opened my eyes to an upside down view of a rolling belt dragging me towards a fiery pit. "Not good," was the first thing I mumbled.

I was suspended in a Force-field by Force-binders. "How _lovely._"

I couldn't even move a fraction of an inch. I was practically _paralyzed._

All of a sudden, a door slid open. I heard heeled boots clattering across the floor. I moved my eyes to see Satine hop over the unmoving belts. "Well, it certainly took you long enough!"

She looked distressed as she climbed a ladder up to the control panel. "You know, I haven't saved you yet!"

"Yes," I sighed. "No need to remind me of that!"

She rolled her eyes before reaching a platform. She began to press buttons nervously. Whatever she hit accelerated my imminent doom. "Satine!"

"Hang on, Obi!"

The door slid open and a large gust of air blew over me. Anakin was now standing beside her. "Let me take care of this," he whispered, gently shifting her out of the way.

I sighed in relief as the belt stopped moving before I toppled over the ledge. "Thank you, _Anakin._"

Satine huffed and Anakin pulled her into his arms. He hopped down with her and set her down on her feet.

"Anakin," I sighed.

"I'm making sure your wife is safe. _Sheesh, _old man." He stepped closer to me and ignited his lightsaber, quickly slashing at the binders. He let me fall flat on my face.

"Soka, can you get Satine back on the _Twilight _and prep the ship? Obi-Wan and I will see what's going on."

"Ani –"

"_Don't_…" he trailed off, looking at her with a pleading expression. "Don't fight me, _please._"

I saw them share a look and just stare at each other for a few moments. That look always meant they were talking through their bond.

He quickly crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. I could see that it was a very, _very _tight embrace.

Satine came over to me and we shared a look. "Did something happen?" I whispered.

She shrugged, looking worried. "I'm not sure."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I kissed her forehead and rested my hand on her rear lek. "I love you, Snips," I whispered, attempting to lighten her mood. "Or should I call you _Skygirl?_"

She giggled. "Skyguy and Skygirl." Those words brought a smile to her lips.

I kissed her quickly and she pulled me back for more. We had several short kisses before falling into one deep kiss. "Love you, Snippy Skygirl."

"I'm not snippy," she sighed. "I'm just _worried _about you."

"Don't be. You _won't _lose me again. I _love _you."

We shared two more short kisses before she whispered, "Love you, Skyguy."

We separated and she poked her head around me. "Are you ready to go, Satine?"

Satine nodded and walked towards Ahsoka. "You will _not_ lose me, Ahsoka," I whispered, kissing her forehead again.

She gave me a very sad, regretful look before turning away. I watched her and Satine leave.

I turned back towards Obi-Wan. "Heads up," I called out before tossing his saber through the air. He quickly caught it and gave me a curious look. "Ahsoka and I found it lying in a hallway."

"Is everything all right?"

"No. There's a bunch of Sith –"

"With _you and Ahsoka_, Anakin." I stared at him, not completely understanding what he was getting at. "You two are acting a bit _off._"

"We're fine. I'm fine. I had an… _accident_, but everything's all right. I'm just trying to make sure _she's_ okay…" I trailed off. "We're fine," I repeated.

"Do you need to talk about it?"

Again, I shook my head. "Not now, but maybe later. I can't hurt her anymore. Let's just say that I married my mirror image. She's taking blame for something she didn't do."

He nodded and put his hand on my shoulder. His hand felt heavy and he looked at me with widened eyes. A sudden burst of light sent us both flying backwards, away from each other.

He pushed himself up and stared at me. "All right, what happened to you? The Force is stronger in you."

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know why that is."

"We are _definitely _talking later."

I nodded. "We've got a Sith issue."

"I can feel it. Let's go."

We got up and dashed out of the room, running down a few corridors. There was a lot of thrashing and banging in one room. The corridor was also lined with pirates – dead ones.

After a few moments, there was silence. We ignited our sabers as we stepped through the threshold. A hulking Zabrak stood in the center of the room breathing heavily towards his double-sided red saber.

"We'll take him together." That instantly reminded me of our first encounter with Dooku. I came out one arm short…

"Right," I muttered as I swung my blade backwards, holding the hilt between both hands.

The Zabrak turned towards us and grunted in anger, charging at us.


	37. Finally Home

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

We were flung backwards by an extremely forceful Force push. We hit the opposite wall and slid down. "As if we weren't in enough pain," Obi-Wan muttered.

"What are you talking about? I feel great," I laughed. He stared at me like I was crazy, but it was true. I felt like I was a bit stronger and I felt _better _in general.

I jumped up and dashed into the room, slamming my blade against the Zabrak's.

He attempted to block my blows and I managed to slide my blade over his chest, cutting his tunic. He growled and grabbed my throat. I gasped, feeling his strong fingers tightening.

I closed my eyes. "_You will not lose me, Ahsoka_."

I would keep my promise to her. She said she'd lost me once and she couldn't bear to lose me again. I couldn't do that to her. I opened my eyes and everything looked much sharper, more detailed. A growl ripped from my throat and the Zabrak flew against the wall.

I fell from his grip and coughed twice before straightening up. I pulled my lightsaber back into my hand and ignited it. Without thinking, I began to walk towards him. "Coruscant," he muttered. "Coruscant."

I cocked my left eyebrow as I towered over him. "What about Coruscant?"

"Count Dooku and Ventress are going to assassinate the Empress."

My eyes widened. Despite the past she and I shared, she was still important in my and my daughter's life. I relaxed myself and narrowed my eyes. "And you think this information is enough for me to spare your pathetic life?"

"I will leave you alone if you spare me. I will go back to my home world."

Part of me just wanted to end his life, but the more rational side of me pleaded with the irrational side. I deactivated my blade. "You're free to go," I whispered, lowering my gaze to the durasteel floor. He stood up and I felt his relief. "But if I ever see you again, I will not be so merciful."

He nodded and ran out of the room. Obi-Wan entered and came closer to me. My eyes were closed, but I felt like I could see his expression. "Anakin, are you all right? I sense a lot of conflict within you."

What he said wasn't completely false. There _was _a lot of conflict within me that I didn't understand. Once again, it was the rational side versus the irrational side. Both sides felt like they were intensified.

I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder. "I don't know what's going on."

The cruiser shook and Obi-Wan practically toppled over himself. I caught him and straightened him up. "Hey, don't die on me now."

"I didn't plan on it."

My comlink began to beep. I quickly pressed the button, connecting with the caller. "Skywalker."

"_Anakin, there was an explosion on the cruiser. _Please, _get out of there…_"

I heard the desperation in her words. "Yes, love. We're on our way. Anakin out."

I turned the com off and nodded at Obi-Wan. "Let's get out of here."

We started running down corridor after corridor until we reached the area where the _Twilight _was docked. I pulled the hatch up without any effort and allowed Obi-Wan to jump down first.

I hopped in after him and pulled the hatch down with the Force. "Soka, get us out of here," I called out.

"Where are we going?" she yelled back as Shmi ran towards me.

"Coruscant!"

She jammed the thrusters and we lowered from the cruiser, flipping over. I held Shmi against my chest tightly, not wanting her to get hurt.

**Two hours later.**

I rubbed Ahsoka's stomach, smiling at her as she slept beside me. The two of us crammed our bodies onto one of the small mats in the back. She sighed and stretched a little, kicking my knee. I kissed her nose as she slowly opened her eyes. "Hey, sexy," she whispered.

"Hello, beautiful."

"How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "I got about fifteen minutes of sleep before I couldn't help but look at you."

She giggled and cuddled up against me. "Obi-Wan's worried."

I sighed. "I didn't tell him what happened yet. I know that he wants to know, but I'm not sure if I can tell him. The last thing we need right now is more worrying. Satine needs to make it through her pregnancy and we need to live normal lives."

"Our lives are anything but normal, Anakin."

"Tell me about it."

She closed her eyes and smirked a little. "Anakin, Obi-Wan told me that you were a little different. Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel different, too. I can see better, hear a little better, and I feel stronger, more powerful. I'm really conflicted when it comes to certain situations, but I don't know. I'm still me, right?"

"Do you think your resurrection was something beyond the supernatural?"

"Well, if it wasn't, I'd be surprised. Sweetheart, I can't just magically come back to life on my own. Something brought me back and did something to me. I just don't understand it yet."

"If we ever meet this being, I'm going to thank them," she smiled, opening her eyes. "Anakin, were you able to see how torn apart I was? I held you in my arms until your final breaths…"

I frowned and kissed her cheek. "I couldn't see you, but I don't doubt that. I'd feel the same way if something happened to you…"

"I know you would, Ani," she whispered. Her tiny fingers lifted my tunic a little and she slid her hands under it. I shivered at the coolness of her skin, but enjoyed feeling her anyway.

"Why are_ you _so cold?" I asked, teasing her.

She shrugged. "I get cold when I'm sad about something."

I shifted a little and lifted her with my arm so I could wrap it around her and pull her closer to me. "Don't be sad, Soka. There's nothing you could have done differently. Besides, I still can't see how _you _killed me."

"I did and that's what hurts the most."

"No, it was probably the electricity. I can't remember what killed me because I'm not entirely sure. I know that it wasn't you, Ahsoka."

She slid her fingers over my side and across my back, feeling the fresh scars that she'd left there. "Soka, please, don't do this…"

Tears built up in her eyes and she finally snapped. She started crying against my chest. She moved her hands away from me, curling up against my body. "It's my fault," she said repeatedly.

Nothing I said or did would get through to her. I'd told her several times already that it hadn't been her fault. I'd told her that I had nothing to forgive because she hadn't done anything to hurt me. Saying that brought up the whole '_I electrowhipped you, Anakin!_' thing and it really upset me.

"How about this," I began. She looked up at me through her tears. "You let me _prove _to you that I'm not mad at you. I'll show you that this wasn't your fault."

She wiped her eyes as she stared up at me. "How are you going to do that?"

"The same way I always do."

"Ani, not right now," she said, turning to lie on her back.

"No. It is _definitely _right now."

She rolled her eyes before looking at me again. "Are you sure _here _is the best place for this?"

I glanced up at the door and lifted my hand, locking it from our side. "_Now _it is."

I positioned myself above her and kissed her slowly and passionately as we both began to undress ourselves.

**Twenty minutes later.**

"Okay, I believe you," she gasped as I rolled over.

I laughed despite the heavy breathing between us both. "Good."

I sat up and pulled her clothes into my hands so I could help her get dressed. Once she was done, I pulled my own clothes on.

I lay back down and stared at her face. She stared back at me and smiled. "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you, too, Soka. I always will no matter what."

We spent the next few minutes just talking about random little things. Once everything had settled down, she wanted to go somewhere where the two of us could raise our children. She knew that I couldn't leave very long because of my title as Grand Master, but I'd give that up for her. I'd give _anything_ up for her.

"Ahsoka, you're more important than some title."

"But that's not fair to you. You worked so hard to get it. You've been through so much, Anakin. I can't just say that I want to go somewhere and allow you to give it up."

"You," I began. "Are more important." I slowly emphasized each word for her before I kissed her. "It's always _you_, Soka. You're the most important thing in my life. I can't lose you."

We both heard someone run into the door and we chuckled as we looked back. "You okay, old man?"

He unlocked the door and walked in rubbing his chin. "Blast, must you two always do _that?_"

Ahsoka and I shared and look. I cocked an eyebrow and she raised her eye markings above her left eye, a smirk played on both of our lips. "Don't even answer that question…" he sighed. "Anyway, I came back to tell you that we're just above Coruscant now."

"Thanks, Obi-Wan."

I got up and helped her up. Obi-Wan went back into the cockpit. I glanced at Ahsoka to see her appear to be in a bit of pain. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _really _sore now," she whispered.

"Really? Soka, I've _never _hurt you before."

"I know. That's the weird part. You've never done it that hard before though..."

I hugged her. "I'm sorry, love."

When I pulled back, I noticed a few bruises forming on her lekku. "Ahsoka, what's going on?"

I saw tears forming in her eyes and I grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Anakin, I love when you hold me tightly and when you make love to me passionately, but everything _hurts._ I don't know why, but I think you're a lot _stronger _than you used to be."

"_Stronger,_" I repeated. "How?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." She wiped her eyes and hugged me.

I hugged her gently. "I'll be more aware of your fragile body."

"I still want you to hold me tightly, Ani. Your arms make me feel safe..."

"Do you think the resurrection did this to me?" I whispered against her lek.

"It's possible. Anakin, don't worry about hurting me. You know I'll love you just the same. This will probably just wear off in a few days..."

Obi-Wan and Satine came out of the cockpit with Shmi. Obi-Wan gave me a concerned look and I shook my head, kissing Ahsoka's cheek.

"Love you, beautiful."

"Love you, too."

I gently held her hand and Shmi ran up to take my other one.

We left the _Twilight, _dropped Shmi off with Plo, and went to see Padme.

Ahsoka stood a little bit behind me as I informed Padme of the situation. "The Sith are practically at _war _with _themselves. _Dooku and Ventress fought. The Zabrak appeared to be torn between sides, but he seemed sincere when he said you life was at _risk, _Padme. You need to leave Coruscant or hide until we've dealt with them."

"I will not run," she said defensively. I could tell that she was trying to defy me in any way possible.

"Padme," I pleaded. "You aren't _listening _to me. This is _serious._"

"Anakin, I'm not going to run away from this. I'm not one to just give up."

"You could have fooled me."

Ahsoka's hand touched my back. I stepped aside and allowed her to speak finally. "Padme, you're the Empress. You need to _lead _these people by _surviving._ If you're dead, you can't help _anyone._ You're also a mother. Take your daughter into consideration when you -"

"So you're siding with _him?_" she asked, giving me a critical look. "Shmi belongs to you two. She's no longer mine."

Ahsoka moved in front of me, knowing I was going to snap. She stared up at my face and began to plead with me. "It's not worth it, Anakin. Calm down."

"_She's _not worth it," I growled, glaring at Padme. I grabbed Ahsoka a bit _too _harshly and dragged her out of the dorm.

"Ani, you're _hurting _me," she whispered. I let go of her and stared at the new bruise forming on her beautiful skin. An immense wave of sadness rolled over me.

"If I keep hurting you -" I angrily began to threaten myself.

She wrapped her arms around me, letting her extreme amount of love for me wash into my body.


	38. The Second Wave

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

"You're too stressed," I whispered, rubbing his soapy leg. "Everything is getting to you. Don't even worry about Padme."

He sighed and hit the water with his palm in a frustrated manner. "I'm just fed up with her attitude. It's like she doesn't care at all."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm fed up with her, too, sweetheart."

"I'm so glad I married you instead of her. You're so much more compassionate and understanding. You also look pretty good when you're covered in soapy bubbles..."

My stripes darkened on my lekku as he leaned forward to kiss me. I got soap in his hair and ran my hands down his back with my eyes closed. "I love you," he whispered as our faces lingered near each other's.

I took his lips slowly for a few moments. "I love you more."

"I _highly _doubt that," he chuckled.

He leaned back as I opened my eyes. I moved to position myself on his chest. He put his hands on my bare back, rubbing slowly as I listened to his even heartbeat.

"How long do you think it'll be before Cayden wakes up?"

"Knowing him, he'll probably be up soon," I sighed.

He built up a soapy mound of bubbles against my side. "How are _you _feeling?"

"Really, really tired..."

He lifted his hand and turned the lights off, allowing the candles to brighten the refresher in small areas – which in itself was pretty beautiful. "If you fall asleep in here, I'll tuck you in."

"You'd have to dry and dress us both..."

"I wouldn't have to dress anyone," he said, smirking down at me.

I laughed quietly, kissing her skin. "Can you carry me to bed? I'm really tired," I mumbled against his chest.

"Of course, sweetheart."

He picked me up and water dripped off of us both, splashing against the water below. He set me on my feet for a moment, going for two towels. He wrapped one around me before wrapping one around his waist. I felt dizzy as I stood there. He pulled me into his arms. I circled my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder.

He carried me bridal style to the bed and gently laid me on it.

He went back into the refresher and I closed my eyes. After a minute, he came back and unwrapped me. He began rubbing me gently with the other towel. "Just getting the soap and such off of you this way," he whispered.

I nodded and lay still, attempting to drift off into sleep. I smiled a little as he kissed my stomach.

He took both towels and tossed them onto the floor. "Which nightgown do you want, love?"

"The purple one," I mumbled. I heard him chuckle before he walked across the room and opened the drawer.

He hummed as he rummaged through it. He came back to the bed and lifted my upper body a little so he could pull the nightgown over my head. He pulled it down my body and fixed it before adjusting the straps. He was such a perfectionist when it came to dressing me.

I watched him through sleepy eyes as he dried and dressed himself. "No shirt," I whispered as he turned around. He smiled and nodded, slowly and seductively pulling the long shirt over his head.

I giggled as he moved to his side of the bed, sliding under the blankets. He pulled them over me as he scooted closer. "You're amazing," I whispered.

He draped his arm over my stomach and kissed my lek. "For my amazing wife," he smiled. "Get some sleep, love."

I turned over to face him and kissed his jaw. Both of our hands rested on the other's side. I rubbed his hip slowly, watching him smile at me.

He kissed my nose just as my eyelids began to droop.

Cayden began to whimper at the end of the bed and Anakin quickly propped himself up. Within moments, Cayden began to wail.

Sleepily, I sat up, but Anakin's strong hand pushed me down. "_Sleep_," he commanded. "I've got him."

He kissed my cheek before moving off of the bed.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Come on, you little sarlacc pit. I've given you _two _bottles and a jar of that _mush _your mother calls _food._ How hungry could you possibly be?"

He continued to wail as I sat in the refresher with him. The door slid open and I jumped. "_Little sarlacc pit?_" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes as she sat down beside me. "How long have you been up, Ani?"

"Two _hours…_"

"I was out for two hours? How did I _not _hear him?"

"I walked around for a bit."

"You must be tired…"

He finally calmed down and I sighed in relief. "Finally," I breathed, leaning against the cupboard beneath the sink.

She ran her fingers through my hair. "Put him to bed and then I'll put _you _to bed."

I nodded and smiled weakly. I got up and she touched my back. "Are you okay?" I could hear the concern and worry. She seemed to notice that I was extremely exhausted all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I think I'm just a little tired."

She continued to stare at me as I walked out of the fresher and set Cayden down in his crib, tucking him in. This kid would never be cold as long as I was around.

Ahsoka wound her arms around my waist tightly, kissing the scars on my back. "Bed time for you, my gorgeous and lovely husband."

I smiled and turned around slowly to kiss her. "Put me to bed."

She pulled me by my hands until I was on top of her. I kissed her neck, sliding my tongue over her skin. "Love you, Skygirl."

She smiled up at me. "Love you, Skyguy."

I rolled over and crawled up to the pillows, plopping down onto my stomach. She crawled onto my back and leaned her head over my shoulder to kiss my cheek. "Get some sleep," she whispered in my ear.

I felt her shift a little so she could pull the blanket up over us both. She laid on me in a very comfortable position for herself and – though it wasn't very comfortable for me – I enjoyed her closeness.

**The next morning.**

I faintly heard an annoying beeping sound. I felt Ahsoka on my back, so she was fine. She sighed as she pushed herself up. I looked over my shoulder to watch her reach out towards the nightstand. "Skywalker," she said, yawning a little.

I smiled and closed my eyes again. "_That_," I chuckled. "Was _very _attractive."

She rubbed my left shoulder. "_Ahsoka, can you inform Anakin of the current invasion? Our clones and most of the Jedi are holding off the Togrutas, but there could be another party out there somewhere. Padme is in the Senate building giving a presentation._"

"We're on our way," she said quickly. She hopped off of the bed and quickly undressed and redressed herself.

As she was about to burst out of the room, I got up and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist. "_Relax._"

"Ani, we need to go."

"Slow down. Padme can take care of herself until we get there. She's the one that didn't want our help."

She ran over to my dresser and pulled my Jedi garments out. I stood there as she dressed me. "You're very handsome, Master Skywalker," she teased.

"Why, thank you, my Padawan."

"I thought I was your _Knight?_"

"Still getting used to that," I replied quickly.

She fixed the tabard over my tunic. "I love you, Ahsoka."

She smiled and her eyes sparkled. "I love _you._"

"I guess we can go now, but you're _mine _when we get back."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "I'm _always _yours."

With that, I took her hand and we ran out. I felt Satine's presence lingering near our dorm before we'd left. Airi was with her as well.

We released our hands and hopped into an airspeeder. "Why do _you _always get to fly?" she asked, pouting.

"I'll let you fly next time."

I revved the engine to life and flew off through Coruscant. I saw fires in some parts of the Senate building.

"You know you can find her. _Fly._ I'll control the glass."

"Ahsoka –"

"_Trust _me," she said defensively, staring at me.

I nodded quickly and closed my eyes, giving into the Force. I felt Padme in the lower region of the building. I tilted my head back as I came out of my short trance. "Going down."

She rested her hands on the dashboard and slowly inhaled. Her left hand flew back to grab my mechanical one. It was somewhat hard to fly singlehandedly, but she needed to feel my confidence in her.

I burst through one of the windows and Ahsoka's right hand held the glass as it shattered, moving it out of our path to keep us both safe.

I grabbed her and flipped out of the speeder as the engine began to overheat.

Once we were on our feet, she put her hands on my shoulders and stared up at me happily. "I did it," she whispered.

I kissed her cheek. "I _knew _you could do it."

"Thank you, Anakin, for believing in me."

I smiled moments before the floor shook. I held her tightly as blasters were being fired. I made sure she was all right before we ran out of the area and into a secluded hallway. It was _deathly _quiet.

"It's too quiet," she whispered. She reached for her saber, only to be hit by Force lightning. I ignited my saber in a flash and deflected the lightning.

She lay on the floor, gasping in pain. The lightning stopped and Dooku charged me.

My hilt was in an awkward position as I blocked his moves. I spun it around quickly and swung. He slashed as me when I was defenseless for a moment. My body instinctively bent backwards and my right hand swung my saber – being the dominant hand.

I heard a rough slam behind me, followed by Ahsoka's painful gasps. I spun around to see MagnaGuards. She'd rolled out of the way of an electrostaff just in time.

I leapt towards her to block another staff. Lightning hit Ahsoka once again and she cried out in agony. I attempted to protect her, leaving myself open. I was jabbed in the back by an electrostaff, but it was always the ones I loved that came before myself.

I groaned and fell to my knees for a moment. I quickly stood back up and slammed the MagnaGuard's chest, running through its circuits.

I turned back towards Dooku as he was about to release another barrage of lightning in Ahsoka's direction. I put my mechanical hand in front of me and absorbed his lightning, creating a ball of electricity in my hand.

He stared at me in shock. I used that against him and dissolved the lightning. I threw my own massive burst of the Force at him, throwing him backwards.

I leapt forward and immediately came down to shove my lightsaber into his chest. I slowly began to push the blade's tip deeper, satisfying myself with his gasps of pain and his look of horror. "_That_," I growled, glaring at him. "Is for Ahsoka."

I slammed my blade directly through him, edging into the floor a bit. Once I felt the Force fade out of him, I pulled back and deactivated it. I threw it to the floor and ran back to Ahsoka. I knelt down beside her and lifted her upper body into my arms. She groaned and closed her eyes tightly.

"Tell me what hurts."

She wrapped her arms around her stomach and I rested one hand on top of her arm gently. "Ani," she gasped. "It hurts… so bad…"

I heard a bunch of boots treading heavily upon the durasteel floor. A few troopers came into view and I sighed in relief. "Sir, do you need a medic?" one asked, concern in his voice.

"Yes, _immediately_," I replied.

"I can't…" Another groan. "Can't leave you…"

"Yes, you can, sweetheart."

"You can't… do this…" Her eyes tightened as the pain intensified. It hurt to watch, but there was nothing I could do. "_Alone…_"

"He won't be alone," Obi-Wan said, announcing his presence. "I'll watch over your immature husband."

I smirked at him before growing concerned as Ahsoka attempted to lean forward. "Ah," she sighed in pain.

"Shh," I whispered, helped her up slowly. I lifted her into my arms gently as a clone came back – a medic by the looks of it.

"We've got a stretcher outside. I'll take her there."

I nodded and handed her off to him, trusting that he would keep my Soka safe. "Ani, don't –"

I kissed her forehead. "Relax, love. Please, just calm down."

Her lips quivered and her eyes watered as she stared at me. "_I can't lose you._"

"You won't," I whispered back. "The old man will watch over me."

I rubbed her cheek lovingly for a moment before giving the clone the command to take his leave. "Get her to the medbay."

"Yes, sir!" The clone ran off with my beautiful Togruta. I couldn't help but feel bad when I felt her pain physically and emotionally. Ever since the incident in the Weequay cruiser, she's had a hard time separating with me.

Obi-Wan brought me back to reality. "Did you –" He looked over at Dooku's body. "You _killed _Dooku?"

"Yes," I sighed, pulling my saber back into my hand. "We haven't gotten to Padme yet. Ahsoka _always _comes first in my book."

"I understand."

We ran quietly through the halls until I felt a mass of fear – not from one person, but from many. "As soon as my Master returns, you will _all _be _dealt_ _with._"

"That sneaky, lying –" I began, only to be cut off by Obi-Wan.

"What's the plan?"

"Kill the Zabrak, of course."

"You cannot keep us here!" a female voice said, authority ringing in her voice. "The Jedi –"

"Will _perish._"

"I _know _they'll come."

"Shut up, Padme," I muttered under my breath.

"My Master will defeat them," the Zabrak replied, a bit too overconfident.

"Master Skywalker –"

"Is _pathetic._ His life is over. He's already died once. I'm sure he's willing to go for another round."

I glanced at Obi-Wan, hoping that he hadn't heard that last part. His eyes roamed over me as his mouth hung open. "You _died?_"

"Another time, Obi-Wan," I said through my teeth. "Right now, we need to focus on _them._"


	39. The Beginning of a Rough Night

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I found it odd that Ventress wasn't around. Then again, the Zabrak had _lied._

"We're going to have a _long _talk later," Obi-Wan muttered, still looking over me every few minutes.

I sighed and decided to dodge the suggestion, not really feeling the need to say _'okay' _or '_sure_'. "Do you want the Zabrak or guard duty?"

"You're better at guard duty. You're going to have _moments _to get her out of there."

I nodded and scooted over to the other side of the doorway. "Whenever you're ready, old man."

He rolled his eyes before straightening up to take his _walk._ He began to enter silently and then I heard the Zabrak grunt, I assumed, when he realized Obi-Wan was there. "_Hello_," Obi-Wan began. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"Savage Oppress _never _fails his assignments."

"Nor will _I _fail at avenging my friend's _death._ Your Master was slain at the cost of Master Skywalker."

Of all the feelings in the room, I was able to pick out Padme's dread. The Zabrak laughed darkly, something to be expected from one of the Sith. "You will fall just as easily as your so-called _Grand _Master."

Once blades ignited and began colliding against one another, I peered into the room. Padme stood there in fear.

I lifted my hand and began to manipulate her body with the Force. She was nervous and extremely fearful as I wrapped her body in the Force and began to move her towards me quickly. She attempted to resist me and that made it so much harder. I closed my eyes and attempted to focus harder on moving her.

I gasped quickly just before she stepped out into the hallway with me. Her eyes were closed, but she looked defiant. "Just finish me," she whispered.

I fell back a little and held my head that was now pounding. "If that's what you want," I said breathlessly.

Her eyes snapped open and she stared at me for a moment. It shocked me when she jumped on top of me. "I thought you were dead."

"No," I whispered, putting my hand on her back. "I'm fine."

Her arms tightened around my neck and she tugged on my hair. "Hey, we need to get out of here."

She pulled back and knelt in front of me. "Right, so what's the plan?"

"I don't really have one yet. Just stay close to me."

"Not a problem," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and got up, pulling her up with me.

She followed me as I led her towards the exit that I believed would work best. As it turns out, I sensed a mass of lifeforms and kept her back before she ran ahead. I glanced around the corner to see Togrutas and Twi'leks dueling our clones in a very brutal fashion. "I guess we won't be going out this way," I whispered, pulling back to look at her for a moment.

She didn't say anything because she tried to keep up with me. We began running up to the next level. I could free fall from the next level without a problem.

My comlink began to beep and I hit it midrun. "Skywalker."

"_Sir,_" Cody's voice came through. "_Do you have the Empress?_"

"Yes."

"_We're holding the line outside of the building. Can you get to the outer dome? I can send a transport up to pick you both up._"

I stopped and Padme grabbed my arm. "That sounds great, Cody. We're on our way up."

I closed the connection and looked at her for a minute. I'd been up there before. I cringed just thinking about it. "Anakin –"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"It's going to hurt you to be up there, isn't it?"

"The only thing that hurts me when I think about it is _what if _I had succeeded? I never would have fallen in love with Ahsoka nor had any of my children. That's what hurts. I don't care that I was driven to the edge because of you, so don't pity me for that."

"It still hurts to know that _I _drove you that far. I almost killed you."

"What is it with you and Ahsoka? I'm sick of the whole '_I killed you_' thing! She didn't kill me and neither did you, so drop it!"

"She thinks she killed you?"

I put my face in my palm and sighed. "Yes. I _died_. She blames herself and I hate that. I love her too much to believe that _she _killed me. It was just a stupid accident that I could have prevented if I'd been strong enough to hold on," I said through my teeth.

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

I shook my head and calmed myself down. "It doesn't matter. That's a conversation for me and her to have later. Right now, we need to get you out of here."

I heard a loud crashing sound and I immediately grabbed her. She jumped and her fear began to build up again. I sensed the Zabrak and Obi-Wan.

"They're coming. Obi-Wan won't be able to hold him off very long if he's moved this far. Run!"

Without another word, we started running once again. I led her up the same stairs I'd gone up many years ago. The lights were off, so I took her hand and felt my way up the stairway.

"Ani, how do you know where you're going?"

"I think I'd remember the path to my own death."

That got her to quiet down for a bit. I appreciated the silence. I didn't feel like spilling my feelings in front of her. That was something I only shared with Ahsoka because I knew she'd know what to say to make me feel better. This was something we'd talk about later. Padme usually brought something up to put a strain on the relationship between Ahsoka and me, so Ahsoka would find out later.

I was surprised that she hadn't contacted me via our bond yet. Instantly, a wave of worry washed over me. What if she hadn't made it back to the temple? "Ahsoka?" I thought hurriedly as I rushed up the stairway.

There was nothing for a few moments. "_Anakin?_" she sounded like she'd just woken up. "_Are you all right?_"

"I'm fine, love. Are you?"

"_Yes. I'm fine. I'm feeling a little better, too. My body doesn't hurt as much. The droid gave me some pain relievers that worked quickly._"

I smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Soka."

"_I'm sorry that I worried you._"

"You're fine, love. I just wanted to make sure."

"_I love you, Ani. How's everything working there?_"

I kicked a door open that led to the outer dome. The Coruscant sky appeared as though it were burning. "Everything's going pretty well. I've got Padme. Obi-Wan's the distraction."

I let go of Padme's hand and walked a short distance over the dome. "_You're not feeling too good. What's wrong?_"

"It's nothing to worry about right now, sweetheart."

"_Tell me._"

I allowed her to see through my eyes for a moment. She saw that we were on top of the Senate building and she immediately understood. "_Anakin, don't think about it. That was in the past._"

"I know, but it still hurts."

"_We'll save this for later. I'll hold you and kiss you. I can't do that from here…_" she trailed off. "_Just be careful._"

"Thank you, Ahsoka."

"_I'm always here for you, my love. Always._"

"I love you."

I could almost feel her smile through the Force. "_I love you, too._"

"Anakin?"

I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

"Why would you ask me that?"

"Do you?"

"_No_," I said, staring her down. "I do _not _love you, nor will I ever love you."

"Why would you risk everything for me? Where's Ahsoka anyway?"

"Shut up or I'll push you off of the dome."

"_Ani, be nice…_"

"I _hate _her," I thought to Ahsoka.

The door burst open and I spun around. The Zabrak, Savage Oppress, used a massive Force-push against us. I managed to hold myself still, but Padme couldn't do that. Obi-Wan came out of the doorway and immediately took over his focus again.

I turned around as Padme began to slide down the side of the dome. "Padme!"

I skid down after her. She was now hanging over the edge, a look of fear plastered onto her expression. I was feet away from her. I reached out and attempted to pull her up a bit with the Force because I didn't want to risk falling either.

I slid down a little more and reached out. She reached up for me, trusting that I'd be able to pull her back up.

Our hands inched closer to each other's slowly until I grasped her tiny wrist in my mechanical hand. She grabbed my gauntleted wrist and I pulled her up. I slowly began to move back up the dome, pulling her along with me.

Once she was in a standing position, I grabbed her other arm to steady her as I continued to back up. She put her hand on my chest and smiled at me. "Thank you, Anakin."

"You're welcome, Empress."

I felt anxious because the transport wasn't here and Obi-Wan was fighting nearby.

I heard the engine of the transport moments before it appeared in front of us. The panel slid open and one of Cody's men held out his hands. Padme held me tightly as she began to slide down again. I lifted her into my arms, feeling my boots giving in.

I gently handed her over to the clone. I stepped onto the transport with them. "Bring me up. I won't be staying long. Obi-Wan needs my help."

"Yes, sir!"

The panel stayed open as we elevated a bit. Once I could see Obi-Wan, – now lying on the ground – I jumped. I did a flip forward and pulled my saber out in the same motion. I ignited it and slammed it beneath Savage's in an attempt to keep Obi-Wan alive a little longer.

His eyes widened a bit. He didn't expect me to come back for him, but I couldn't leave my brother. Obi-Wan slowly stood up behind me as Savage began to press down on my blade.

I growled and pushed up, throwing him backwards. Being the coward he was, he charged down the stairs. I helped Obi-Wan straighten up and made sure he was all right. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's go," he said quickly.

We ran back down the stairs with our lightsabers ignited. It was much easier this way. I'd gone up in the dark because I didn't want Savage to see the light.

I felt his presence in one of the smaller debate rooms. We entered to see him staring back at us. I snarled and leapt forward with Obi-Wan close behind me. I jumped into his position as he leapt up. Obi-Wan and I looked up as he slammed his saber into one of the levitating podiums. This must have been a practice room then…

The platform crashed down on us and I quickly used the Force to hold it up a little bit. We were still crushed beneath it, but we hadn't been killed, so that was nice.

I began to breathe heavily as I felt a mass of exhaustion come on suddenly. My air felt restricted and the light around me began to darken. "I can't breathe," I gasped.

Obi-Wan grabbed my mechanical arm and told me to relax my thoughts. He used his Force ability to push the platform off of us and pushed himself up to look down at me.

I tried to relax my thoughts, but I still couldn't breathe. Within moments, I gasped again and all of the oxygen flooded back into my lungs. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

I felt the Zabrak's presence leave and I groaned, closing my eyes. "We failed."

"No, we didn't. Padme is alive and safe. We did our job. _He _failed."

My comlink began to beep and I slowly answered it. "Skywalker."

"_Sir, the Empress is safe. Would you like us to come back for you and General Kenobi?_"

I glanced up at Obi-Wan and he nodded. "Yes, we're below the dome level. Can you meet us near the west wing?"

"_Yes, sir._"

After about twenty minutes, we arrived back at the temple.

I groggily walked back to my bedroom to go get Satine. Obi-Wan followed me and I felt his unnecessary concern. I forced the door to slide open with my hand, not willing to be patient for it open on its own.

I heard thrashing and groaning. It sounded like Satine. I flipped the lights on. The kids were sound asleep in their beds and Satine was lying on an extra mattress, tossing and turning. I slowly moved towards her and knelt down beside her. I lightly tapped her shoulder. "Hey, Satine, wake up."

I turned her towards me and tears were streaming down her face. "Satine?"

Without any warning whatsoever, she lurched into an upright position and began screaming. I gripped her shoulders quickly, going into a panic. "Satine, it's Anakin!"

Obi-Wan was at my side, staring at me like he wasn't sure what to do. "Satine, listen to me! It's Anakin!"

Cayden began to screech and Kaimi and Shmi were just waking up. "Obi-Wan, get Cayden back to sleep!"

He nodded and ran over to my son, pulling him out of the crib to calm him down.

I put my index fingers against Satine's temples and forced myself into her mind without her willingness. I felt her grip on my wrists tighten, but there wasn't any pain since I was within her now.

I saw a large fiery monster with glowing red eyes. Satine was on the ground, holding her hand out in front of her. "No, stop!"

My dream figure ran over to her and grabbed her, pulling her up. "Anakin? Get out of here! It'll kill you!"

"You're dreaming! Wake up!"

She stared at me like I was crazy. I pulled her against my chest as a protective gesture while the monster spread its fiery wings and zoomed towards us. "Get us out of here!" I shouted at her.

She got us out all too late. Once we were back in reality, I felt like my flesh arm was on fire. I fell away from Satine, gasping in pain. I forced my self regeneration to take care of the feeling, but it was too slow to work.

Satine leaned over the mattress and fell on top of me. "Anakin, I'm so sorry," she whispered over and over again.

After two hours, things had quieted down. I was sitting on my bed with Satine. Obi-Wan was standing at the foot of the bed, staring at her. I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion finally getting the best of me. "I need to go get Ahsoka…"

"Go get her, sweetheart, we'll watch the kids while you're gone," Satine whispered. She held my hand for a moment, squeezing tightly. I nodded and slid off of the bed.

"I'll be back shortly."

I walked out of the room and began heading towards the medbay.

I dragged my feet and rubbed my wrists as I walked. I felt my body giving in to the sleep it wanted and my eyes were beginning to give me blurred vision.

I crashed into the door outside of the medbay. I groaned and slid it open with my mechanical hand. I crossed the dark room and found Ahsoka by her soft breaths. When you sleep next to someone long enough, you know what they sound like while they're sleeping.

I yawned before picking her up. "Hey, beautiful," I whispered, kissing her shoulder. I gently lifted her into my arms and carried her back to the bedroom.

Satine and Obi-Wan were off of the bed when I returned, so I just laid her down and covered her up.

Satine came over to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry for tonight, Anakin."

I hugged her back. "Don't worry about it. You two go get some rest and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

She pulled back and smiled weakly at me. Obi-Wan came up to me as she was leaving. "You're a good man, little brother. Thank you for helping her. She's guilty, but she's grateful as well."

I smiled and nodded. He clapped my shoulder once, shaking my upper body. "Get some sleep, little one."

I shrugged. "I'll try. Get out of here," I teased.

He nodded and chuckled before walking out after Satine. Just as I started walking over to my bed, Cayden began to wail.

This was going to be a _long _night…


	40. That Haunting Sight

**POV: Ahsoka Skywalker**

I woke up to the feeling of soft sheets and warm skin. I sighed when I heard Anakin's soft snores. I was happy to be in bed with him. Being alone in the medical ward had seriously depressed me…

I opened my eyes to see his faces inches away from mine. His warm breath blew against my face. I lifted my hand and rubbed beneath his eyes where dark bags were beginning to form. The poor man hardly gets enough sleep. I moved my hand down to his lips. I slid two of my fingers between his lips and he locked them in place. He inhaled slowly and began to shift.

I watched him stretch and felt him kick me accidentally. He licked my fingers twice before opening his mouth and eyes. "Good morning," he whispered, his voice rough with sleep.

"Good morning," I replied, smiling. I scooted closer to him, cuddling up against him. "When did you come get me, love?"

"Late last night. Satine gave Obi-Wan and me quite the scare. She had a massive nightmare. She let me see it, though she wasn't all that willing. I could understand completely why she'd reacted the way she did…"

"I'm sorry, Ani." I rubbed beneath his left eye. "Were you up really late then?"

He scooted down my body and rested his head on my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled down at him. "As soon as I got Satine to calm down, I went to get you. I'd just finished tucking you in as Cayden woke up. Once I got him back to sleep, Shmi wanted to spar with me in the training room."

"How long did all of this take?" I asked, concerned. I held his face with my right hand and rubbed his bare back with my left.

"Two hours for Satine, two hours for Cayden, three hours for Shmi. After that, Obi-Wan decided that he wanted to talk to me for an hour. He didn't know that I hadn't gotten any sleep, but he needed someone to talk to. I took a shower after that and finally got to sleep about two hours ago…"

"You must be exhausted, love. Go back to sleep."

He draped his arm over my stomach and held my side tightly. "Don't leave me," he whispered, relaxing against me.

"Never in my life would I ever dream of leaving you."

We just laid there for another hour. He did get a bit of sleep, but he kept mumbling my name. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. I rubbed his back, tracing over the embedded scars. I felt so bad about each and every one of them – reminders that I'd failed to save him in time. He had suffered so much.

And that brought me back to his death…

I closed my eyes and tears began to drip down my cheeks.

I felt his fingers clenching around my waist and he tilted his head to look up at me sleepily. "You actually stayed in bed? Love, I didn't mean to make you –"

"You didn't make me do anything. I wanted to stay with you. I like watching you sleep. You're just wonderful to sleep with because you're so loving…"

He smiled and I ran my fingers through his hair. "Thank you, Ahsoka. Thank you for _everything _you've given me."

"I love you more than anything. I gave you myself because I knew you were the one for me."

"I wish you'd been my first," he sighed. "Padme wasn't worth it…"

"If I had been your first, I would have been eleven!" I laughed.

"Wow. I am _such_ a creep. You're almost ten years younger than me. How did we make this work?" he teased.

"Old man," I whispered. "I fell for you when you fell for me. What does that make me if you're a creep?"

He thought for a moment. "The creep_ess_," he said, smirking.

"I love how you just make up these words."

"Some might call you a victim of my desperation for you, but I call you Ahsoka, my beautiful Togruta."

I thought back to the journal I'd found about three years ago. He'd written my name as it had been before we were married and as he imagined it would be if we fell in love. His beautiful handwriting had sketched _Ahsoka Tano _and _Ahsoka Skywalker _all over several pages.

I knew he was desperate now that I look back on how he'd acted in the first few months of our partnership as Master and Padawan. He'd lectured me many times after I'd almost gotten hurt. It was nice to be somewhat close to him though… We'd known each other for a few years prior to my assignment to him.

During those lectures, – usually very harsh ones – I would just wait patiently for him to stop talking. He told me a few times that he needed me to survive, playing it off as a joke that would close the conversation abruptly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Us," I whispered, glancing down at him.

We both looked towards the kids as Shmi began to wake up. He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, yawning as he stretched his arms. "That was attractive," I teased.

He shrugged and I jumped up to landing on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled and kissed my right arm.

"Daddy?" Shmi whispered, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Yes, baby?" Anakin whispered, his voice very gentle despite his exhaustion.

"Can we go train?"

Anakin sighed and lowered his head. "Yeah, let's go."

"Yay!" she squealed, waking the other two up. Kaimi sat up and looked at Shmi angrily. Cayden began to wail in his crib.

I scooted off of the bed before Anakin had the chance to stress himself out more. I held Cayden in my arms and rocked him gently.

"Get dressed, girls," Anakin whispered. Both of them jumped up, ran to their dressers, picked out an outfit, and dashed into the bathroom, locking the door. I smiled as Anakin leaned to the right and fell onto the mattress, lying on his side. He stared up at me, smiling.

"I love when you hold him."

"Why?" I laughed.

"It completes my family picture."

I walked over to him and sat in front of his stomach. His hands roamed over my legs for a few moments and he chuckled. "You're beautiful…"

He moved his hand to my hip and continued to smile up at me. I couldn't help but smile as he began to hum the tune of his mother's song. I shifted Cayden into one arm and touched Ani's hair with my free hand.

"Sweetheart, why don't you let me take care of the kids today?"

"I'm –"

"_Exhausted_," I interrupted, raising my left eye marking at him.

"Baby, I'm okay. I want to spend time with them."

I raised both eye marking. "Have I ever told you that you're not one to call me '_baby_' unless you're trying to desperately convince me of something?"

"Seriously?" he asked, taken aback.

"Just lie down. I'll come get you in an hour."

"Ahsoka –"

The girls burst out of the refresher, smiles on their faces. I saw Anakin give me a very distraught look. "_One _hour, my love," I whispered.

"Can you fight in Djem So? Don't teach her Ataru. It's such a terrible stance…"

"Love, you taught me everything you know."

"Psh," he laughed, rolling his eyes. "You only know the half of it. Djem So is much simpler than whatever you think you're doing with a saber."

"Love, I know it looks awkward to you, but have I ever gotten hurt?"

"Yes."

"_With _my lightsaber?"

"Again, _yes._"

I kissed his cheek. "Girls, Daddy's really tired. I'm going to spend some time with you today."

"Yay!" they both squealed in unison.

Ani smiled at them and then up at me. I leaned down to give him another kiss. I _loved _how he always closed his eyes – regardless of the length. We shared several short kisses before separating. Our eyes opened at the same time and his loving smile took my breath away.

I rubbed his cheek. "I love you."

"Me, too." He shook his head. "_You_, I mean."

I giggled and rolled my eyes. "I knew what you meant. Go to sleep."

He nodded and slowly crawled across the bed to tuck himself in. I smiled at his back despite the scars.

Kaimi tugged on my shirt. "Mommy, can I stay with Daddy?"

"Baby, Daddy's –"

He rolled over and smiled at her. "You can stay kiddo."

I singlehandedly lifted Kaimi onto the bed and she crawled over to him, cuddling up with him. I smiled at them before beginning to leave with Cayden and Shmi.

"You can leave him here," he whispered from the bed. "Just put him in the crib."

"Sweetheart –" I began, sighing.

"You can't hold him _and _train Shmi at the same time."

He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He got up and walked over to me. "Leave him here," he whispered. His deep, blue eyes looked so beautiful and I couldn't reject his words. I sighed and gave in, moving to place Cayden in the crib.

Anakin's arms wound around me after I covered Cayden up. "I love you."

I looked over my shoulder and kissed him quickly. "Love you, too." I held his hands that rested above my stomach. "Go back to bed, Ani."

He kissed my left lek once before letting me go. I walked him over to the bed and kissed his neck once he lay down on his stomach. I pulled the blanket over his back and smiled at him. "Get some rest, love. Kaimi, be nice to your father. We'll be back later."

"Yes, Mommy," she whispered sleepily.

I ran my fingers through his hair for a few moments before leaving with Shmi.

**Three hours later.**

Shmi had exhausted me and time had flown by too quickly. She fought _exactly _like Anakin did during our sessions in the past.

We entered the bedroom and she went directly over to her bed and lay down. Kaimi was on my bed beneath the covers. Anakin was curled up on the floor beside Cayden's crib. As I moved closer to him, Cayden was asleep against Anakin's chest.

I lifted Cayden and put him into the crib. Afterwards, I tried to gently lift Anakin and drag him back to the bed. He woke up, startled, and immediately flipped forward to escape my grip.

He landed in a defensive stance, hands in front of him and legs bent a bit. "Oh, it's you," he sighed.

"Geez," I laughed. "A little jumpy, are we?"

He straightened him and walked over to me. "How was training?"

"Exhausting. I'll never understand how either of you fight like that. I'm sorry that I didn't come back for you. Time was –"

"I understand," he whispered, caressing my cheek. "The best way to win is to drain the energy of your opponent. I asked her which form she wanted to learn – and I _did _demonstrate each one. Ataru was the most complex for me and she didn't like it either."

"It's _really _easy."

"Says you."

"Come with me. They're all sleeping." He sighed and pulled his shirt into his hands, slipping it over his head. I took his hand, pulled his saber to my belt, and we ran to the closest training room.

I tossed his saber to him as he stood across the mat.

We both activated our sabers. "Okay, hold it like –" He immediately flipped his saber, holding it the way I would. "Just like _that._"

"I've seen you hold it before. It's just _awkward _to swing."

"Swing."

He _was _awkward with it. Normally, he'd never be caught swinging anywhere but through the air at his opponent. Now, he slashed into the mat unintentionally.

I chuckled and deactivated my saber. "Okay, love. First of all, you're tense and frustrated. You need to relax. Second, when have you _ever _seen me stand straight when I fight?"

I moved closer to him and grabbed his right arm, positioning it correctly. The rest of his body shifted to compensate for the new position. "See? It wasn't that hard," I teased him, smiling.

He rolled his eyes. "Unless you're _me._"

Once I perfected his stance, – which took a while because he started kissing me – I moved across the mat and stood as he did. "Mirror me."

I swung forward and he did the same. I completed several other motions and he was able to keep up with me. I took a step back and smiled widely. "I'm impressed, Master Jedi."

He cocked an eyebrow, smirking. "If you're impressed by that," he breathed, sweat dripping over his brow. "You'll be _really _impressed by this."

He stared at me without blinking and I was very confused. Within moments, my body began to move on its own. "What the –"

"It's me," he whispered. He kissed me quickly, caressing my lek in his flesh hand.

"You can make me move?"

"I've moved you since before we were married," he teased. I rolled my eyes as he kissed me again. "If I focus hard enough, I'm able to manipulate your limbs without a problem."

I kissed his jaw before backing up a bit. "Once again, you've impressed me. Show me what I taught you, love."

"I recall being the one that taught you." He was just teasing me left and right today.

"You taught me everything but this."

I got into my stance and he mimicked me. He relaxed himself and bent his knees a bit, holding the saber backwards. He did look a bit better and more comfortable, which was nice.

He spun around – pulling a Djem So move – and swung with a lot of force. We began to go back and forth, testing each other's limits. I felt his exhilaration as he was able to connect blows with my lightsaber.

After a few minutes, he dropped his saber and clutched his head. I threw my saber to the floor and stepped forward to catch him as he began to tip towards me. "Ani, what's wrong?" I asked quickly, lowering him to the floor.

His eyes were glazed over and looked distant. From that look, I assumed he was having a premonition. I wasn't able to see into his thoughts for some reason.

I heard him gasp quietly once and then it turned into a bloodcurdling scream. He sounded like he was in so much pain. His back arched in my lap and I didn't know what to do. I held him tightly, fear seeping into every bit of my being.

After a few minutes of enduring his tormented scream, he went _limp._ "Anakin!" I screamed.

His breath had ceased and coolness began to rise from his body. I hit my comlink quickly, assuming that I would go into shock and depression soon enough. "Obi-Wan!" I shouted into the device. "I need you in training room four-A _immediately!_"

"_I'm on my way._"

Several moments later, Obi-Wan burst through the door and ran to me. He knelt beside me as I shifted Anakin's body. "What happened?"

By this point, I was completely in tears. This was the _second _time he'd died in my arms, but I didn't understand what had happened this time. Obi-Wan touched his neck and gasped quietly. "Ahsoka…"

"I don't know what happened to him. We were messing around and sparring…" I trailed off. "He was in pain and then… _this._"

Anakin's eyes were closed as I held his head against my chest. His skin was cool and pale. "Come on, Ani…" I whispered, hoping beyond hope that something would bring him back again.

His back arched again and his eyes opened, a scream bursting through his lips. For a few moments, his eyes glowed a bright white coloring, but then they returned to their normal, beautiful blue shade. He rolled off of me quickly, holding himself up between Obi-Wan and me, and began to cough up blood.

Obi-Wan and I immediately grabbed him. I couldn't lose him a third time. "Ani, what happened?"

He looked directly at Obi-Wan, staring wide-eyed. "It's _Anima._"

**A/N: Well, this is officially the end of **_**Rising and Falling 3. **_**I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! The poll for **_**Rising and Falling 4 **_**will end on December 17****th****. Depending on the poll, the YouTube preview should be posted on the exact same day. Get your votes in soon! Thank you to all of the readers that have kept going with this series. You're all so inspiring and I absolutely love talking to you wonderful people!**


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